


Piecing us Back Together

by brittaden



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, Fixing relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Possible Literati
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-03-28 18:39:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 129,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3865504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brittaden/pseuds/brittaden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a conversation with her mother in "Driving Miss Gilmore," Lorelai takes different measures in order to salvage her relationship with Luke. Formerly posted as a one-shot titled, "Tears of a Gilmore." (Fixing the L's while also working on the Emily and Lorelai relationship.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.  
> This fic was born out of an immense love of Lorelai and Emily Gilmore. I always wished they had more bonding moments.

Lorelai listened on as her mother rambled on about how small town charm was good for the weekend but only a weekend, nothing long-term. Not even the images of her mother trying to fit into a small town with overly nosy neighbors who invited themselves over whenever could bring a smile to her face.

Instead the photos of the house before her – the house that her mother and father wanted to buy as a wedding present for her and Luke – just reminded her of everything that wasn't going to happen in her life. Based on the way that things were going, she and Luke were not going to get their middle. They weren't going to have a wedding, much less a marriage, so there was no need for a wedding present.

Lorelai had already admitted it to herself, that her dreams, her middle, her whole package, it just wasn't going to happen. No matter how much she wanted it for them. She just hadn't admitted it to anyone else. Well admitted it out loud while sober. That is until now.

“It's not gonna happen.”

The words just fell out of her mouth. It's not as if she meant to say it out loud, especially not to her mother of all people. But she couldn't stop it. Although it was better to tell her mother now so she wouldn't waste time trying to secure this house for them.

Her eyes started to sting and she knew that meant a fresh batch of tears were forming. The tears usually only came at night when she was at home alone in the bedroom that she and Luke renovated. Lorelai sniffed back the tears that were threatening to fall and just hoped that her mother did not notice.

“What?” Emily asked. “Well, of course it will. If we have to pay more than the asking price, your father and I are totally prepared…”

“Luke and I, the wedding,” Lorelai clarified, her face crumpled as she had to face the truth, “it's not gonna happen.”

“What?” Emily asked, shocked by her daughter's admission.

Lorelai couldn't bear to look at the display of the house anymore. She looked down at her shoes as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat and tried to stop the tears from falling. The latter was inevitable. This time her sniffling did not go unnoticed by Emily. The harsh light in the real-estate office may have still slightly impaired her vision but it didn't affect her hearing. She walked up behind Lorelai, who had her arms wrapped protectively around her waist, and put her hand on her shoulder.

The gesture as simple as it may have was touching. At least for Emily Gilmore to display towards her daughter. Growing up, Lorelai realized that her mother was never big on showing too much affection. So something as simple as a shoulder touch at this moment and time was just enough to send her over the edge.

Lorelai threw her hand over her mouth just as a choked sob escaped. She shrugged off her mother's attempt to comfort her before she dashed out the door leaving Emily to wonder just what was going on with her daughter.

However it didn't take long after Lorelai's abrupt and brash exit for Emily to follow behind her. Albeit she moved slower than Lorelai due to her impaired vision and the shoes she was wearing. She wondered how Lorelai moved as fast as she did in the heels she was wearing.

Once outside the real-estate office Emily strode towards where the car was parked only to find that Lorelai was nowhere in sight. She was about to call out to her daughter when she spotted her. With the sky darkened, Emily's vision was slowly returning to normal. She could now make-out Lorelai seated on a wooden bench with her head in her hands as silent sobs wracked her body.

Emily sighed deeply before making her way towards her daughter. The chances of Lorelai actually opening up to her and telling her what was wrong and why the wedding wasn't going to happen were slim to none. But she could still try and be there to comfort her daughter. That was a mother's job. Even though she was never truly the comforting type or one to openly talk about her feelings, it had to due with the way she was raised, she would not let this opportunity to be there for Lorelai to slip through her fingers.

Lorelai desperately tried to stop the tears when she sensed her mother approaching. She shut her eyes tightly and took deep calming breaths hoping that would calm her down. She didn't like to appear weak. Least of all in front of her mother. The overwhelming scent of Chanel No. 5 and the weight of someone sitting down next to her let Lorelai know that her mother had now joined her.

Lorelai lifted her head from her hands. “I'm fine, you know. You don't have to sit here. I just need a few minutes.”

Lorelai kept her eyes trained forward, not wanting to look at her mother. She wasn't openly sobbing anymore but hot tears still managed to roll down her face despite how much she tried to stop them.

“Nonsense Lorelai,” Emily commented, she slipped her sunglasses from her head and put them into her purse. She grabbed a handkerchief from a pocket in her purse and passed it off to Lorelai. “You're crying, you're not fine.”

“Thanks,” Lorelai muttered as she dabbed at her tears with the handkerchief. “But really you don't have to sit here. I just need a few minutes then I can take you home.”

“I'm not going to leave Lorelai,” Emily stated plainly. “I'm not going to prompt you to talk because I know you probably won't tell me anyways but I am going to sit here with you. Just in case.” She softened her voice. “I'm not going to leave you.”

Lorelai leaned forward and put her head into her hands again. Today was an odd day. One moment she's rolling her eyes at her mother's ridiculous errands and choice in eye-wear and the next she's crying outside of a real-estate office with her mother trying to comfort her. Definitely an odd day.

When Emily noticed that Lorelai's body was shaking with sobs once again she reached out and placed her hand on her daughter's back. There was a moment of hesitation before she started to soothingly rub small circles on Lorelai's back, she didn't Lorelai to sprint away from her again while she tried to comfort her. She couldn't help but notice that Lorelai initially flinched at her touch but slowly settled into it.

Over the years Emily saw her fair share of moments when Lorelai was upset, a lot of them at her own hands, but never so much as she was now. Truthfully this was the longest amount of time that her daughter allowed her around while upset. For right now, it's all she could do to be there for her daughter. That was a mother's job, to be there for their kids.

Lorelai finally straightened back up causing Emily's hand to fall from her back. Her tears all dried up for now. She used the handkerchief and made another pass at her face to rid any evidence that she had cried. After a few minutes the handkerchief was dropped into her lap.

Lorelai sniffled then cleared her throat. “I can't believe you and Dad were thinking about buying us a house.”

“Why not?” Emily asked. “You're not going to let me give you a wedding, I already know that. Your father and I still wanted to do something for you and Luke so we wanted to buy you a house as a wedding present.”

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, the why wasn't really worth getting into right now. “It doesn't matter. Not anymore. The wedding's not happening so there's no need for a present. No need for a new house.”

“Lorelai...”

“It's a beautiful house, it really is. And so thoughtful,” Lorelai replied still in disbelief over the amount of thought that went into her parents searching for a house. Not just any house but a house that was seemingly perfect for her and Luke. “But it's just not going to happen.”

“Why is the wedding not going to happen? Did something happen with you and Luke?” Emily asked.

Lorelai finally turned to face her mother. “I thought you weren't going to prompt me to talk.”

Emily blew out a breath. “Is is that strange that I want to talk to you? That I want to know what's going on in your life? That I want you to open up to me and let me in?”

“For you?” Lorelai asked rhetorically. “A little.” When she noticed her mother's disapproving look, she continued on. “You've just never been the type to want to openly talk about your feelings. We've never been that mother and daughter.”

“We're not like you and Rory.”

Lorelai shook her head. “No we're not. We've established that before.”

“I know it may be difficult to believe but I am your mother...”

Lorelai interrupted, “Difficult to believe that you're my mother? I always knew I looked suspiciously like the neighbor.”

Emily rolled her eyes at the comment. “I mean, I am your mother. And though it may be difficult for you to believe I do want to help you. You rarely let me into the goings-on of your life but I want to be let in. I care.”

Pod Emily. That's all Lorelai could think. Maybe when they botched her eye surgery they somehow altered her brain waves too. Her mother was reaching out to her and even going as far to try and comfort her by touching and rubbing her back. That was not Emily at all. They rarely hugged or showed any signs of affection towards each other. Yet here was her mother actually being motherly.

Perhaps even stranger than the fact that Emily was willing to listen and comfort her was the fact that she almost wanted to talk to Emily about this. She was tired of holding it inside and just allowing it to fester. She could feel it just bubbling underneath the surface and getting ready to spew. Maybe it would do her some good to talk about this. It might not change things but at least she wouldn't be keeping it all inside.

Lorelai decided the best tactic would to be to stare straight forward and not look at her mother. It would just make it easier for her to talk about Luke and the engagement that felt like it wasn't going to happen.

“I just feel like I'm not a part of his life anymore,” Lorelai admitted. She shook her head when the realization hit her. “No. I'm not really a part of his life anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asked.

“I've felt him pulling away from me for months. He lives this separate life with April now that I'm not allowed to be a part of.” Lorelai sighed. “Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that he is there for April and that he's stepping up to be a father to her but it's just a part of his life that I'm not a part of. I'm just shut out.”

“Does Luke know how you feel about this?” Emily questioned. “Have you talked about this with him?”

“He wanted time with her, time to wrap his head around the idea of having a daughter. I wanted to give him that time, I did give him that time. I even postponed the wedding because there was so much going on with him finding out about April and all,” Lorelai replied. “But nothing's changing and the wedding is just not going to happen. It was perfect, I had everything planned out, and now it's not going to happen.”

Lorelai shut her eyes tightly in an attempt to stop tears from falling once again. Her attempts were not successful as she felt the hot tears begin to roll down her face. She sniffled loudly and blinked back the tears.

Lorelai continued on before Emily had a chance to say anything. “And we talked before about how I felt the wedding wasn't going to happen but Luke promised me that it was going to happen. That we were going to get married and I thought he meant it. But nothing changed, I'm still shut out.”

“I know that must be hard,” Emily tried to sympathize. She knew the feeling all too well of not knowing about a part of someone's life. “Have you told him lately how you feel? Have you talked to him about how you feel you're being shut out? Does he know that?”

Lorelai shook her head. “I don't know. I'm afraid to push him too hard. I thought we had a breakthrough because I helped him with April's birthday party and I really bonded with her but then Anna found out and it all just blew up.” She sighed deeply. “I'm tired of being patient.”

“You never were a patient person,” Emily pointed out. “Since the moment you were born you were never patient.” She thought for a moment. “Well even before you were born since you couldn't even wait until your due date.”

Lorelai couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that comment. She turned to look at her mother. “I'm just tired of waiting Mom. I want to start a new phase of my life with him. Marriage, another kid, possibly a beautiful new house,” she listed. “I just want all of that so much.”

“And Luke is the one that you want all of this with,” Emily inquired.

Lorelai nodded. “He's the only one that I that with. I really do love him. I don't know if I loved anyone until Luke. I know he might not have your approval but he is right for me and he really cares for Rory, you know that means the world to me.” She swiped at her eyes at tears began to run steadily down her face. “But recently I'm just not happy. I feel crappy all the time and I hate that. I hate waiting and I'm just not sure how much longer I can do this.”

Lorelai broke down into devastated sobs again. She hid her face from her mother as the sobs shook her body. It didn't really help that she was telling all of this to her mother who was probably the last person she would ever talk to in this manner. The realization that her mother was being motherly and trying to comfort her only served to make her cry harder.

Emily hated seeing her daughter this upset. She knew there wasn't much she could do for her daughter at this point but to sit her and try to comfort her while she cried. She tentatively wrapped an arm around Lorelai's shoulders to try and calm her down.

This wasn't the strong, outspoken Lorelai that everyone knew so well. She was weaker, more vulnerable, and just generally not happy. Emily hated that she had to see her daughter in such a position but at the same time it seemed like a step forward in their relationship. Her daughter had actually opened up to her and talked with her about her problems.

Emily alternated between having her arm around her daughter's shoulders and rubbing her back in small soothing circles until Lorelai's sobs finally subsided. Lorelai once again took the handkerchief and made a few swipes at her face.

“I wish I knew what to tell you to make this better,” Emily spoke up, “But all I can tell you is that you need to talk to Luke. I mean talk, really talk to him. You need him to see your side of things.”

“I know that I should, I'm just afraid of pushing him too hard and too fast because I could lose him,” Lorelai replied.

“Sometimes people need a little push. Nothing's going to get better if you don't talk to him. You're only going to continue feeling like this unless you try to talk to him,” Emily said. “I don't mean give him an ultimatum because those never work out but really try to talk with him. Let him know how you're feeling. Judging by his fashion sense, he doesn't always pick up on small things.”

Lorelai rolled her eyes, of course there had to be a dig at Luke in there somewhere. But it was only something small, just his fashion sense. He did wear a lot of flannel which is something she could never imagine her mother in.

“Maybe you're right.” Lorelai grimaced when she realized what she said. That was something her mother could hang over her head from now on. Maybe she would let it go though, given the situation. “I guess I can try to talk to him again.”

“Talking to him is the only way you're going to come to a resolution,” Emily replied. She lifted her hand from her lap and put it over her daughter's. “And if you really do love him and you're sure he loves you then I do want to see you two work this out.”

Her eyes were still watery but a small smile did cross her face. “Thanks Mom.”

Emily simply nodded in response and gathered her purse into her hands. “Are you ready to go now or do you need a minute? I can wait if you need me too.”

Lorelai shook her head. “No need. I can take you home now.”

“Are you sure?” Emily asked. “Because we can wait a few more minutes if you need the time. I don't have a reason to rush home.”

“I'm fine Mom, really,” Lorelai replied. She handed her mother the handkerchief back and stood up from the bench. “Come on, let's get you home so you can rest those eyes.”

Lorelai stayed by her mother's side as they walked back towards the car. Emily climbed into the backseat while Lorelai got into the driver's seat. As Lorelai began the drive back to Hartford, the ride was quiet.

“If it's any consolation he still looks at you like you're a Porterhouse steak,” Emily commented as she remembered the first time she ever met Luke. When she was so sure that they were together only to find out that they were only friends.

Lorelai initially gasped at the comment then she started to chuckle. “You remember that?” The words surprised her the first time she heard them and hearing them again just now was just as equal a surprise.

“I remember,” Emily confirmed. “That look is still there. A little different, more loving than before. But it's still there.”

Lorelai glanced up into the rear-view mirror. When her eyes connected with her mother's, she smiled softly. “Thank you Mom. For listening.”

Emily smiled back, “You're welcome Lorelai.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Lorelai stood in front of the bathroom mirror fretting with her hair. Not that there was anything wrong with it because it looked just fine. The loose curls framed her face perfectly. No, she was just biding her time and trying to avoid the inevitable. The inevitable being Friday night dinner. To say the least Friday night dinners were never the bright spot of the week but at least they were chances to spend time with her daughter. Ever since Rory ventured off to college and began her college-activity filled life, they didn't get to see each other as often as they would like but they could usually count on Friday night dinners for at least a glimpse of one another. This dinner, however, Rory was only going to be there for drinks since she was throwing her boyfriend a going-away party before he headed off to London.

Lorelai sighed. At least her daughter's relationship was going well even if Logan was leaving tomorrow. It's more than she could say for her own relationship with Luke.

Luke. Besides Rory not being there and the fact that she was going to be alone with her parents for dinner, Luke was, in a way, another reason that she was dreading this particular Friday Night dinner. Maybe not so much Luke but her talk with her mother just the night before which just so happened to be about her relationship with Luke. She knew her mother was just trying to help and in a weird way it felt good that she actually talked and bonded with her mother over something but still she was dreading this dinner.

Lorelai just knew that after last night where her mother encouraged her to talk to Luke that she would questioned on whether or not she talked to Luke and how their talk went if she did. She also knew that if she told the truth, which was that she didn't talk to Luke, that her mom would take it as a personal slight and their bonding moment would be quickly forgotten.

Truth is, Lorelai was going to take her mother's advice. Maybe for the first time in her life. Her plan was to head to the diner as soon as she got back to Stars Hollow and tell Luke that they needed to talk. A talk in which she would try and make him see her side of the situation and see just how much pain she felt these past few months. The talk would hopefully be the beginning of them getting back to the Luke and Lorelai they once were before everything got so complicated. Or maybe they could be an improved Luke and Lorelai, a couple with better communications skills. Communication was definitely an area they were lacking in.

At least that was the plan.

However when she arrived at the diner all the lights were down in the diner as well as in the apartment above. She checked her cellphone to see if maybe he called and left her a message to say that she should stop by or something after the staff meeting she lied about that morning but there was nothing. Luke was already asleep. It would be useless to try and wake him up to have this talk. Suddenly her nerve to talk to Luke was lost.

She knew that she could always try again today to talk to Luke but for some reason she couldn't explain she found herself avoiding Luke. She told herself it was because she was thinking of what to say to him and that was partly true since she stayed up most of the night thinking of what she wanted to say but she was also afraid of what would come of their talk. Most of the possibilities that were conjured up seemed to lean towards the wrong end of the spectrum which ended with them breaking-up.

Lorelai snapped out of her reverie. In spite of wanting to do nothing more than stay home and watch movies in an attempt to forget about her own relationship problems, she knew that she had to go to dinner. With a loud huff Lorelai headed downstairs, told Paul Anka to be a good boy and not destroy the house while she was gone, and headed out the door on the way to Friday night dinner.

* * *

 

Lorelai rubbed at her temples as her mother paced around the room in front of her going on about why Lorelai never heeded her advice. It had only taken asking why Luke didn't come to dinner and Rory leaving early to meet up with Logan before Emily took Lorelai aside into Richard's study and asked her her talk with Luke went. As Lorelai predicted, Emily took it as a slight against her when she revealed that she didn't talk to Luke.

“I just don't understand why you didn't listen to me,” Emily chided. “I'm just trying to help you.”

“Mom,” Lorelai called exasperated. She groaned when Emily didn't listen and continued on her little tirade. “Mom,” she called again this time actually gaining Emily's attention.

“What Lorelai?” Emily snapped as she turned around to face her daughter.

“If you would have let me explain earlier instead of jumping to conclusions you would of heard that I was going to talk to Luke,” Lorelai replied.

“But you didn't,” Emily interjected. “Once again you didn't listen to me. I can't say that I'm surprised at that though. You would never take my advice.”

Lorelai suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “This isn't about me not taking your advice because…and I know this is going to surprise you...I was going to take your advice. I was going to talk with Luke but...”

“But what?” Emily asked.

“But it was late and all the lights were off in his apartment so it's not like I could just wake him up for this,” Lorelai answered. “It's not a talk to have when you're half asleep.”

“His apartment?” Emily questioned. “I thought you two renovated. I thought you two were living together. What on Earth is he doing at his apartment?”

Lorelai sighed heavily. It's no as if she meant to reveal so much to her mother. “We haven't officially moved in together. He stays at his apartment sometimes. It's not a big deal,” she lied.

Truth is she hated the nights that they spent apart. Which is why they usually tried to spend every night together even when he had early deliveries. Lately though they spent more nights apart then they did together. And then the nights they did spend together, it always felt like something was weighing down on them. Those nights weren't exactly enjoyable.

“Well I just thought you two we're living together,” Emily commented. “So you didn't talk to him last night, are you doing to talk to to him tonight?”

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. “I don't know.”

“You don't know?” Emily asked. “What does that mean? You were prepared to talk to him last night.”

“I know...”

“You are going to continue feeling this was until you talk to him and try to work things out. It's obvious he doesn't see how this is affecting you and the Lorelai I know wouldn't just sit by and let his happen.

Talk to him,” Emily advised. “Try to be rational.”

Lorelai choked back a laugh at that. Gilmore women weren't known for their rationality. “I know. I need to and I will.”

“Soon,” Emily added on.

“Yeah.”

Emily softened her voice. “I just want you to be happy Lorelai and you said that Luke is who you want to be with so I do hope things can work out for you two.”

“Me too.”

The mother and daughter stood quietly, both aware that they had managed to talk openly once again without really any bloodshed. They also both held an understanding that these two moments recently could be a stepping stone to a more understanding mother and daughter relationship.

That idea alone freaked Lorelai out in the slightest way. She cleared her throat. “I guess we should get back out there. Dinner will probably be ready soon.”

Emily scoffed. “With this maid, it's doubtful. She probably doesn't even know how to tell time to understand that dinner is to be served at seven.”

“Well that just means more time for drinks,” Lorelai pointed out. “Let's go before Dad comes looking for us.”

With that Emily and Lorelai exited Richard's study and walked back into the living room where Richard sat chatting with Christopher and Emily's ill-fated attempt as a date for Christopher. Why her mother felt the need to set Christopher up was beyond her. However it was fun to watch him squirm. She had once been in that same position herself. Which is why she refused to help him when he asked. As far as she was concerned, he was on his own. She made more important things to worry about.

Dinner passed by relatively fast. At least as fast as it could go when Emily and Richard were meddling in Christopher's love life and Lorelai was lost in her thoughts on what may come of her talk with Luke. She resolved that once she was able to leave Friday night dinner that she would head straight to the diner and, barring any interruptions, she would tell Luke that they needed to talk. And talk they most definitely would. She needed to be heard and one way or another, she would make Luke listen.

* * *

 

Lorelai pulled her jeep into a parking spot in front of the diner. Through the window, she could see Luke at the counter talking with a customer. He hadn't seen her. She could still drive away if she really wanted to. But she told herself that wouldn't solve anything. Emily was right, she needed to sit down and talk with Luke. She needed to be open with him. Lorelai hated to admit that her own mother was right but in this case, she was. So for once, she was going to try and follow her mother's advice.

Now or never, Lorelai decided as she stepped out of the jeep and made her way towards the diner. She took a deep breath as she reached for the door handle and opened up the door. As always, the bells above the diner door signaled her arrival. They captured Luke's attention as well since he chose that moment to look up. He left the customer at the counter and made his way towards Lorelai.

Lorelai noticed that Luke looked like he wanted to say something but spoke up before he had the chance. "Hey. We need to talk."

Luke ignored her comment. "Where have you been?"

Lorelai shook her head. "That doesn't matter, just listen..." she pleaded.

"What are you talking about it doesn’t matter?" Luke asked, interrupting her before she had a chance to say what she wanted. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I tried your cell. I went by the inn. Patty was at your house."

Lorelai sighed heavily. She ran her hands through her hair. “I know that but please just listen,” she looked up at Luke with pleading eyes. “We need to talk.”

Luke nodded, the pleading almost desperate look on her face was enough for him to stop questioning her on where she had been all day even though he spent the entire day worrying about her whereabouts.

“Yeah, okay,” he nodded again. “What's going on?”

Lorelai looked around at the few stragglers in the diner then she looked back to Luke. “Do you really want to have this conversation here?”

“Right. Do you want to go back to your place or we can go upstairs,” Luke suggested.

Lorelai gave a snort of disapproval. Her place. Yeah right. It was supposed to be their place not just her place. “I'll just be upstairs waiting,” she replied shortly before pushing past Luke and heading toward the staircase.

Luke watched, clearly baffled, as Lorelai snatched back the curtain and stomped up the staircase. He didn't understand what Lorelai was referring to when she said that they needed to talk. It could have to do with where she had been all day since no one was really sure of her whereabouts. He tried calling her several times only to get her voice-mail. She seemed so fine recently but there had to be something going on with the way she was currently acting.

First though, he needed to tell Cesar that he now needed to look after the diner while he went upstairs to talk with Lorelai.

Meawhile, upstairs, Lorelai paced around Luke's apartment. She stopped when she spotted a few stray lip-glosses that were leftover from April's birthday party. The party that she though was a sign that she and Luke were going to be okay since he was involving her in April's life. But then Anna got upstet that she was involved which led to Luke freaking out. Any hopes that Luke would continue to actively involve her in April's life were ultimately shattered.

Lorelai found Luke's reaction to be a tad dramatic to say the least. But she could understand where Anna was coming from since they were both single moms. Which is why she went to apologize for the party and introduce herself so Anna could see that she had nothing to worry about. Though talking with Anna did little to ease her mind.

Lorelai began her pacing again. Nervous. That would be the word to describe how she was feeling now. Whihc she thought was insane, she shouldn't be this nervous to talk to Luke. He was her fiance after all. But that's just it. He was her fiance. There was so much riding on this conversation. This could take an ugly and unwanted turn and she could lose everything that she wanted.

Lorelai didn't have time to dwell on that since the apartment door opened and Luke walked in. Her pacing stopped once again as he made his way over to her.

"What's going on Lorelai?" Luke asked.

"We need to talk," Lorelai informed him.

"Yeah you said that earlier," Luke replied.

"Right," Lorelai sighed. "And we do. We need to talk. We really need to talk."

Luke nodded. As he moved to sit down on the couch, he grabbed Lorelai's elbow and guided her to sit down next to him since it was obvious since she wasn't going to move. "Okay. What's going on?" he asked again.

Lorelai fidgeted nervously with her hands in her lap. Feelings of insecurity began to sweep over her. She fancied herself Wonder Woman and hated the idea of showing her insecurities. Luke was one of the selected few who she ever truly revealed herself to. Even before they started dating. Now was another one of those moments.

"Lorelai?" Luke prompted when Lorelai stayed silent for several minutes.

Lorelai looked over at Luke. "Are we ever going to get married?" she blurted out.

She figured there was no sense in idle chit-chat. She just neded to get down to the much larger issues at hand. She feared if the didn't get it out now that she may never say anything.

"What?" Luke choked out. "Of course we are," he reassured her by taking her hand in his. "You know that. I told you before that we are getting married. We're going to get married and..."

"And we'll have lobster," Lorelai interrupted, she removed her hand from Luke's grasp. "I know you said that before but just saying that doesn't mean anything. Saying something like that, promising something like that and not taking any steps towards that isn't any kind of progress. We postponed but we're not doing anything."

"I thought you were okay with postponing. You're the one that suggested we postpone the wedding in the first place," Luke replied.

"I know. And I was..." she trailed off for a moment and thought about that statement. "At least I thought I was." She groaned. "I may have not been as okay with postponing as I made you believe."

Luke shook his head, not understanding exactly what Lorelai was trying to say here. "Then why did you suggests postponing if you weren't even okay with it?"

"I was okay with it, at least I think I was. In some way." Lorelai tried her best to explain. "I was okay with giving you time to wrap your head around everything with April especially since at that time it was all so fresh. I mean you just found out that you had a daughter. I know you and I knew that you needed that time to process. I just didn't think it would end up like this," she admitted as she looked down at her lap once again. Her voice was small and wavering.

"End up like what?" Luke questioned.

Lorelai scoffed. Unbelieveable. As she looked back up at Luke, she made a gesture with her hands first pointing to herself and then to Luke. "Like this."

"What are you talking about?" He repeated the gesture that she made just seconds ago. "What does that mean?"

Lorelai groaned again. She sprung up from the couch and began pacing the floor just in front of where Luke sat on the couch. Sure, she knew Luke could be dense at times and a little too in-his-head at times but did he seriously not see how things seemed to be going for them lately? Of course he didn't notice. If he would have noticed then they would not be in this position that they are now. She would have to tell him what was wrong, what had been wrong these past few months, instead of him just being able to read her to understand that something was wrong.

Lorelai abruptly turned to face him, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Want to know what I'm talking about?" she asked but wasn't looking for an answer. "I'm talking about the fact that for months now I've been walking around feeling like crap all the time. I'm not happy. I haven't been happy in a while."

"I-I-I didn't know," Luke stammered out.

"No, of course you didn't know," Lorelai accused. "And I don't know...maybe I should have told you how I felt sooner but I have never had to tell you before. You could always just read me. You always just knew when something was wrong. But lately I don't know where that Luke went. The Luke that knew when I was upset and tried to fix it.

"I'm still here," Luke defended himself as he stood up from the couch. "I'm still the same Luke. I just have April to consider now. And you know me, I get in my head about things. I get in my head and I can't deal with everything all at once. I'm bad at that."

"You're right. I do know that about you. I know you get in your head. I was prepared for that. I just didn't know you would be in your head this long and that it would mean completely shutting your fiancé out," Lorelai retorted.

He hadn't shut her out. Had he? No. They had spent time together. Not as much time together recently as he would have liked but they were both busy. But he hadn't completely shut her out. He would never just shut her out like that. And if he did, he didn't mean to.

“I haven't completely shut you out,” Luke defended himself again. “You're still a part of my life.”

“Then what do you call not allowing your own fiancé around your daughter? Your fiancé, who is not even allowed to be around your daughter,” Lorelai replied, raising her voice. “Hell, you even made sure that I wouldn't even be at the diner at the same time that April was.”

“You know that I wanted time alone with her so I could get to know her for myself. I'm her dad, I just found out a few months ago that I had a daughter. I needed time to get to know her,” Luke countered.

“I know you did!”

“You said I could have that time. You understood that I needed that time with April,” Luke replied.

“Yeah I did understand that you needed that time,” Lorelai said. “I especially understood after you made the decision that I wouldn't come by the diner any time that April was there. Nice to be informed of that over an answering machine by the way.”

“You didn't say anything, I assumed you were okay with it.”

Lorelai rolled her eyes. “Well you know that they say when you assume…”

Both parties stood staring at one another, only the coffee table separating them. Any notion of trying to remain rational and having this be a calm talk had already flown out the window. It's not like this kind of talk could ever be done in a calm manner anyways. It was a fruitless endeavor. But still she was telling him everything that had been bottling up for months. However she was still unsure of how this talk was going to turn out.

“Look,” Luke said trying to ease the tension in the room. “You know that I wanted time with April. I love that you gave me time with her. It means a lot to me. And now with Anna...”

“Yeah but see I talked to Anna and she said that everything will be fine with April once we're married. But I figured maybe if she really knew that we were getting married, if there was a date or something. Or maybe if you talked to her then…,” Lorelai didn't get to finish what she wanted to say before Luke interrupted her.

“Wait, wait, you talked to Anna?” Luke questioned, he crossed his arms and stared Lorelai down. So much for easing the tension in the room.

“Yeah, I talked to Anna.”

His brow furrowed. “When did you talk with Anna?”

By Luke's tone, Lorelai felt as if she was being scolded by a parent. “After the party.”

“I didn’t know you talked to Anna, you weren't supposed to talk to Anna.”

“I know and I'm sor...” Lorelai automatically went to apologize, something that she felt she had been doing for months but she stopped herself. She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “God, no. I'm not going to apologize. We're talking. I'm going to have an opinion. I'm not going to bite my tongue anymore. So what, I talked to Anna.”

“You weren't supposed to talk to Anna,” Luke repeated, the anger evident in his voice.

“So you said,” Lorelai said with another roll of her eyes. “I can talk to who I want to. I just thought that Anna should know the party was my idea, that it wasn't your fault. And I thought maybe that if she knew that we were indeed serious about one another, that if we were indeed getting married that maybe things with April could be cleared up.”

“You still weren't supposed to talk to Anna,” Luke said.

“Oh my God, get a new line,” Lorelai urged. “Okay, I get it. You didn't want me to talk to Anna. But maybe, just maybe, and this is a sprinkle of a maybe, if Anna knew that this was serious and that we were getting married that things wouldn't be this way. So I decided to take the initiative which was to go and talk to Anna so she could know who I was, so then maybe I could be involved in April's life.”

“It's still too soon for you to be involved,” Luke replied.

“How is it too soon?” Lorelai shouted. “I'm your fiancé, it shouldn't be too soon. We shouldn't have these two separate lives, one of which I'm not allowed to be a part of.”

“I'm trying here,” Luke fired back.

“Try harder!”

The silence in the room was deafening. They were just talking in circles it seemed. Well shouting in circles was probably more appropriate. But people didn't really say shouting in circles. Whatever they were doing, it was in circles. Always come right back around to the same thing while nothing seemed to be getting resolved.

Lorelai could feel the hot tears brimming at her eyes threatening to fall over her lashes and down her cheeks. She really didn't want to cry. At least not until she was alone. But the tears seemed to have their own way of thinking.

“I love you Luke,” Lorelai said softly. “Do you love me?”

Luke stared in disbelief at her. Of course he loved her. How could she ever doubt that? He moved from behind the coffee table to stand in front of Lorelai.

“Of course I love you Lorelai, you know that,” Luke replied just as softly as she did.

“Then please just let me in,” Lorelai pleaded. She didn't care if she sounded desperate. “Just open the door and let me in. Stop making me hold onto the bumper.”

Luke looked at her, a confused expression contorting his face. “The bumper?”

Lorelai took a deep breath trying to gain her bearings just enough to explain what she meant. “You see it's like you're driving a car and I just want to be in the passenger seat. God, I really want to be in the passenger seat. But no, the door's locked and I'm stuck holding onto the bumper. You don't even have to open the door, you just have to unlock it and say 'come in,' but you're not doing that. You just keep on driving and I'm still stuck holding onto the bumper and I'm getting hurt over and over again. You're driving and I'm just getting really badly bruised and hitting potholes,” Her voice usually strong and steady, started to waver. “And I don't know how much longer I can hold onto the bumper.”

“I have to figure things out with April,” Luke said calmly. “I need time.”

Lorelai shook her head as she looked towards the ground. She tried to hide the tears but she knew there was no use. They were already running steadily down her face. She didn't get it. They had talked. She had practically poured her heart out to him. She told him just how much she hurt over the past few months and his response just seemed apathetic. This was not the Luke she knew.

Lorelai wiped at her tears before she looked back up at Luke. She pushed her hair back behind her ear, a habit she developed when she was nervous. She sniffled loudly. “I'm hurt and I'm tired of being hurt. I don't know how much longer I can continue to hold onto this bumper.”

When Luke didn't say anything in response, it hurt her. When Luke allowed her to walk out his apartment door without so much as saying her name, it hurt her even worse. When she paused outside of the closed apartment door for several minutes just waiting for Luke to make an appearance and having him not show, that hurt the worst.

Lorelai bounded down the diner steps not caring that tears were now streaming freely down her face. She didn't care when she entered the diner and drew the attention of whoever was still there just before closing time. Surely someone had already hurt that she and Luke were fighting. The news would be all over town by tomorrow morning. But for now all Lorelai cared about was getting into her jeep and driving away. Where she was headed, she was quite sure. But she knew that for tonight, she was not headed home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I wasn't trying to have Luke come across as a jerk, if you took him that way, but I took how things happened in 'Partings' but with my own twist of them talking and not Lorelai trying to make him elope. I know things look bad now but it's all a part of my plan. Like Lorelai is headed somewhere at the moment, but she could be headed anywhere.  
> Anyways, reviews are always encouraged!


	3. Chapter 3

Lorelai pondered the idea that she may be going slowly insane. The evidence resided in the fact that she was now willingly sitting in the living room at her parent's house and had even accepted their offer to stay the night when she tearfully admitted that she didn't want to go home. Combine that with the fact that admitted her fears of not marrying Luke to her mother and actually took the advice her mother gave her, and the idea that she might be going slowly insane seemed plausible.

She didn't to want to admit it out loud or even to herself really, but talking openly with her mother about Luke and her relationship felt kind of, for lack of a better word, nice. For once her mother was listening to her and taking in her concerns without being judgmental in her usual way. Okay, so she would never admit that out loud. Not like anyone would believe her if she did.

Lorelai looked up as Emily walked into the living room with a robe in one hand and a bundle of clothes in the other.

"Here's a robe and some things I found of Rory's that she left here," Emily said as she held out the items to Lorelai. "You can change into this if you would like. I thought this would be better than sleeping in your dress. I can even have the maid wash your dress for you when she comes by in the morning."

Lorelai accepted the robes and clothes from her mother. "Thanks. I guess I'll go change then."

"Bring your dress back down when you're done," Emily ordered as Lorelai got up and started to walk towards the staircase.

The logo on the front pocket of the robe caught Lorelai's attention. She studied it carefully and realized that she had a robe with the very same logo on it at home. She turned back towards her mother with a humorous glint in her eyes.

"Is this the robe from the spa?" Lorelai asked, her eyebrow raised. "You actually kept this?"

"Well of course I kept it Lorelai," Emily replied. "You saw me put it into my suitcase."

"And I also saw you trying to return it when I was getting the car. I figured you would find a way to return it as soon as we got home. You were so worried about the spa charging," Lorelai pointed out. She chuckled. "I can't believe you kept this."

"I kept it because it is symbolic of our trip together," Emily commented, she remembered Lorelai's words from that very trip. "The night that you turned me into a thief."

Lorelai smirked. "You vicious trollop."

Still chuckling over the fact that her mother still had the robe, Lorelai turned and made her way up the staircase. At the top of the staircase, she turned down the hallway and entered the bedroom that served as her refuge from her parents for nearly seventeen years. The irony was not lost on her that she was now using the room as a refuge from her own life instead of a refuge from her parents. There was always a first time for everything.

Minus the dollhouse, her room still looked basically the same as when she left with Rory many moons ago. The same posters still hung on the wall though Emily Gilmore disapproved of them at the time. Turns out her mother never changed it into a gift-wrapping room as she once suggested as she was going to do. Lorelai found a small comfort that her room was still her room despite her nearing the age of 40.

She stripped off her dress and rifled through the clothes that her mother gathered for her. She found a pair of pajama bottoms that Rory had borrowed from her and never given back as well as a t-shirt from Yale. Once she put the pajamas and stolen spa robe on, she headed into the bathroom.

Thanks to crying in front of Luke and breaking down in front of her parents, her face was streaked with mascara-stained tears. She wet a rag and ran it over her face cleaning it of the tears and smeared mascara. Some scrubbing later, her face was clear of tear stains and mascara but the puffiness around her eyes still remained.

When she left the diner and made the decision that she couldn't go home or go to Sookie's two nights in a row because that just seemed pathetic or even go see her daughter because she was busy with her boyfriend, Lorelai found herself driving to her parents. Then as if on autopilot, she walked up to their door. As soon as the door was opened and her parents asked what was wrong, she broke down. Her father ushered her inside and she sobbed onto his shoulder. She made sure that they knew Rory was okay but didn't spill on what made her so upset though Emily did have an idea.

When Lorelai stopped sobbing and apologized to her father for wetting his pajama shirt with her tears, Emily sent Richard to bed telling him that she should talk to Lorelai alone. It took some convincing but Richard eventually went to bed leaving the two Gilmore women alone.

Lorelai caught the reflections of her engagement ring in the mirror and pouted. They hadn't broken up tonight but it seemed that was the direction they were headed in, especially if things didn't change soon. The thought brought tears to her eyes but she fought them off telling herself that she was not going to cry again. At least not right now.

Lorelai walked out of the bathroom, grabbed her discarded dress, and headed out of her bedroom. Once downstairs, she dropped off her dress and the wet rag in the laundry room before looking around for her mother. Emily did tell her to come back downstairs after all.

"Mom?" she called out.

"Kitchen," came Emily's reply.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and took in a very strange sight. The strange sight being her mother standing in front of the stove stirring something in a pot. She crossed her arms and walked over to her mother.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm making us some hot chocolate," Emily answered.

"Hmm," Lorelai nodded. Strange. She had never once seen her mother cook or make hot chocolate growing up. But hot chocolate did sound really good. "Where's the little packets at?"

Emily looked to her daughter but continued stirring. "What little packets?"

"You know the little packets with the chocolate powder and the teeny-tiny marshmallows that you stir into the hot milk to make hot chocolate," Lorelai explained to a very confused Emily. "You don't know what I'm talking about do you?"

"I know what you're talking about Lorelai, I'm not an idiot. I just don't understand why on Earth someone would make hot chocolate from a packet," Emily replied.

"Because it's easy," Lorelai said. "And you get marshmallows." She watched as her mother continued to stir a pot of now steaming milk. "Well if you don't have packets, how do you make hot chocolate?"

"I use real chocolate, no powder."

From the counter beside her, Emily grabbed a bowl of finely chopped chocolate and slowly added it to the pot. With one hand continue to stir the milk and slowly melting chocolate, she grabbed a bottle of vanilla and asked Lorelai to open it. She took the now open bottle back from her daughter and added a few drops to the mixture on the stove.

"Ooh," Lorelai cooed as she looked into the pot. "Fancy."

"Hand me two cups," Emily said as she pointed out the cupboard for the cups.

Lorelai nodded and grabbed two cups down from the cupboard. She set them down and watched as her mother carefully poured the hot chocolate into both of the cups. Once the cups were filled to the brim, Emily set the pot down and turned off the stove. She then picked up both of the cups and passed one off to Lorelai.

Lorelai looked down in the cup then back at her mother. "No marshmallows?"

Emily shook her head, "We don't have any marshmallows."

"Whipped cream?"

"No."

"Sprinkles?"

Emily let out an exasperated sigh. "Are you five?"

Lorelai feigned a pout. "Not as fancy now," she mumbled under her breath.

Even though it was mumbled, Emily still heard Lorelai clearly. "You'll be fine," she commented. "Let's go sit down."

Lorelai followed her mother out of the kitchen, through the dining room, and into the living room. To Lorelai's surprise, Emily didn't take her usual seat. Instead she sat down on the couch across from the one that Lorelai chose to sit on. Seeing her mother in the kitchen was a strange sight but seeing her mother curl up on the couch in her robe while clutching a cup of hot chocolate was an even stranger sight. All of the strangeness seemed fitting though.

Lorelai blew up on her hot chocolate to cool it off before taking a sip. "This is really good Mom," she complimented before taking another sip. "I didn't know you could make hot chocolate."

"I'm capable of many things Lorelai," Emily replied. "I made it for you when you were little."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I don't remember that. I think you think you made this for me when I was little."

"I did make this for you when you were little Lorelai," Emily insisted, her voice beginning to sound irritated.

"Still don't remember that. This is the same incident as the mashed banana on toast. Except that this isn't gross and it's something I actually want."

Emily blew out a breath before recounting a story from Lorelai's childhood. "You were three years old. You came to me one morning begging for a sip of my coffee. I told you no, that you were too young for coffee. Of course, you got upset. So in order to calm you down, I told you that I would make you a special drink. And of course you loved the idea of anything special and just for you. I took you into the kitchen and you stood in a chair by the counter while I made the hot chocolate. Then you insisted that you drink it out of the same type of cup I did. You pretended it was coffee."

Lorelai looked down into her cup and let out a small, dejected, "Oh."

"I don't make it very often."

"Right." She thought for a moment. "Did I at least get marshmallows then?"

"I believe you did."

"Man, I miss being three."

A silence enveloped the room as the two woman sipped on their hot beverages. Both were avoiding the elephant in the room. But Lorelai knew that it was just a matter of time before her mother would bring it up. Soon the hot chocolate was gone and the cups were taken back to the kitchen by Emily.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emily asked as she walked back into the living room and took back her spot on the couch.

Lorelai played innocent. "Talk about what?"

"The reason why you showed up here this late," Emily replied.

"What, I can't stop by and visit my parents this late at night? Can't have a slumber party complete with hot chocolate?" Lorelai joked. When her mother didn't laugh or even crack a smile, she shook her head. "You don't have to do this. You can go ahead and go to bed. I'll be fine."

"You showed up here and broke down in tears. You're obviously not fine," Emily replied. "Did something happen with Luke?"

Lorelai avoided her mother's gaze. "I don't want to talk about it."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

Emily arched an eyebrow. "You're telling me nothing happened?" she questioned. "You just decided to drop by and stay the night? You cried on your father's shoulder and now you're telling me that you're fine and nothing happened?"

"There's not much to say."

"Lorelai," Emily prompted.

"I said I don't want to talk about it," Lorelai said through gritted teeth.

Emily huffed. "Fine. I'm only trying to help you here. I figured you showing up here meant that you needed help with something. I was wrong obviously. If you want to be stubborn and not talk about what's bothering you then fine, I'll just go to bed. I swear you are just like your father."

Mumbling under her breath about just how stubborn Lorelai was and how much she was like her father, Emily stormed out of the living room and headed towards the staircase. She was halfway up the staircase when she heard sniffling sounds coming from the living room. She turned around and saw her daughter bent over with her head in her hands as she tried not to cry. Emily walked back down the staircase and headed back towards Lorelai. She sat down next to her daughter and placed her hand gently on her shoulder. As much as she wanted to talk with Lorelai, Emily stayed silent.

Lorelai made a sniffling noise before lifting her head from her hands. "He didn't even try to stop me. He just let me walk away."

"Who? Luke?" Emily asked even though she already knew the answer.

"No, Paul Anka," Lorelai retorted. She wiped at a few stray years. "Yes, Luke. I don't think he even heard what I was saying. I told him how I felt, how I've been feeling these past few months and nothing. He just let me walk away."

Emily tried to choose her words carefully to say something reassuring and comforting but she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Well the man is an idiot Lorelai."

"Mom," Lorelai groaned as she pulled away from her mother's touch.

"That's not what I meant to say," Emily said defensively. "But it is true. The man is an idiot Lorelai. An idiot that lacks obvious fashion sense."

"Mother," Lorelai chastised, "Just because I'm upset and mad with Luke right now does not mean t hat I'm going to sit here and let you insult him. If you're going to do that then this is over and I'm going to bed."

"Lorelai please stay," Emily said in a pleading tone. "Just hear me out."

"Fine," Lorelai grumbled. "One more insult and I'm out of here."

Sure at the moment she thought Luke was a real idiot and kind of a jerk for letting her walk away and for how he treated her these past few months but she knew a lot of that talk was because she was angry with him. But no matter her feelings towards Luke at the moment, she still didn't want to hear Emily insult him.

"You love him and he loves you, anyone can see that. I could see that by the way he looked at you the first time I met him. You two getting together was just a matter of time," Emily explained. "After what you two have been through, some of it at my own hand, he's not just going to let you walk away."

Lorelai snorted. "Well he did. Just a little while ago in fact. I walked away and he let me. So there goes your theory."

"I didn't mean it literally," Emily snipped. "What I'm trying to say is that just because this happened tonight, just because he didn't come after you when you left, it doesn't mean that it's over. This doesn't mean that things are going to end between you two."

"Yeah, well I'm not so sure I believe in that," Lorelai replied. "We fought, he didn't seem to care. That doesn't exactly spell out a happy future."

"Every couple has fights. Your father and I fight, sometimes we fight a lot. But fights can be normal, they can be good for a couple. They can help get things out into the open when just talking doesn't work," Emily informed her daughter. "Sometimes you have to have a fight in order to work through things."

Lorelai shook her head. "But this wasn't just a fight. It was a bad fight. It might have been 'the fight'," she said with air quotes. She blew out a breath. "It was terrible."

"Every fight can seem like 'the fight,' under the right circumstances. You two love one another. I know that if you truly want to then you can work through this," Emily said.

"I asked him to let me into his life. It doesn't even have to be something huge like April spending the night at the house or anything, just something small like me being in the diner the same time she is, but he can't let me in. He won't let me in. He refused. I'm torn," Lorelai admitted. "I don't know how much longer I can do this."

Emily shook her head, "Well I certainly don't know everything that you two have been through lately but from what I do know, I can tell you that he is an idiot. Quite frankly he sounds like he's been a jerk if he's not letting you into his life. Honestly, you deserve better."

Lorelai groaned loudly and stood up from the couch, "That's it. We're done talking," she snapped before turning to march away.

"You deserve someone who wants to share their life with you. Someone who will let you in. He's an idiot for not wanting you in his life," Emily said softly. "Only an idiot wouldn't want you in their life."

Her mother's words caused Lorelai stop her pissed-off marching away. As her mother continued to talk, Lorelai stayed with her back facing her mother.

"I know I don't tell you like a mother should tell her daughter but you are a wonderful person Lorelai. Everyone in that weird little town of yours absolutely loves you and Rory. Your father and I learned that while we were looking for you a house. If Luke can't see how wonderful you are and refuses to let you into his life then I am sorry but he is an idiot. That's just my opinion," Emily remarked.

Lorelai wiped at a few tears that managed to roll down her face. She cleared her throat to try and hide any emotion. Her mother had never really complimented her in that way before. She nodded her head, "Okay, night Mom."

Lorelai turned to walk up the staircase but was once again stopped by her mother's voice.

"He'll come back Lorelai. You two will work through it. It might take a little time but he'll come to his senses eventually. I know you probably don't want to wait but a little time could be good for the both of you," Emily stated. "You'll be fine. You're strong. You're a Gilmore."

Lorelai smiled to herself. "Thanks Mom. Night."

"Goodnight Lorelai," Emily replied.

Emily sat back down on the couch and watched her daughter climb the stairs and then disappear out of sight. The circumstances could definitely be better but she was glad that her daughter actually came to her and was staying the night. Maybe, just maybe, she thought, this could open up new doors for them. Doors that would lead to them having a better, more understanding relationship.

* * *

After thanking Babette for watching after Paul Anka while she was out last night, Lorelai collapsed down onto the sofa. She was exhausted. After talking with her mother the night before, she found it hard to sleep. The weirdness of her mother being the one she went to for comfort after a fight with Luke weighed heavily on her mind. The universe was definitely pulling some very strange tricks for her. She wanted to sleep but knew that as soon as she closed her eyes, all she would see was Luke and their fight and him letting her walk away.

Coffee.

She needed coffee. Sure she already had two cups at breakfast this morning at her parent's house but more coffee was never a bad idea. Compared to her usual morning consumption of the delicious beverage, she was behind and she couldn't let that happen. No way, no how.

On her way to the kitchen for her caffeine fix, Lorelai noticed the blinking red light on her answering machine told her that she had new messages. With hope, even though she already knew it was a false hope, that maybe Luke left a message for her, Lorelai pressed the button to receive her messages.

No such luck.

There were no messages from Luke. She should of figured that since he didn't even try to call her cell phone either. The only messages on her machine were from Babette and Sookie. Babette's message talked of Paul Anka and how she would check on him since she heard a crash from that way and didn't see the jeep at home. And Sookie's message was just what she expected from her chef friend. The message was filled with promises of listening and plenty of offers to make whatever comfort food Lorelai may need after her fight with Luke.

Lorelai promptly erased the messages and promised herself that she would call Sookie later to talk but for right now she didn't want to talk. She just wanted to be alone. It seemed like a better option than going out and facing everyone who would only try to coddle her since she was sure everyone knew about the fight by now. The Inn didn't need her today. She could afford a day off – a mini vacation.

A vacation.

Maybe a vacation is exactly what she needed. Time away from Stars Hollow. Time away from the townies who cared deeply for her but would still want to intrude on her personal business. Babette already knew about the fight and already tried to reassure Lorelai that things would be fine. She even offered to drag Luke down the aisle if she needed to.

Time away could be good. Time just to herself. Luke did say that he needed time so what was so wrong with her taking a little time as well? Leaving might not be the best option in order to work things out with Luke but a vacation did sound tempting. A vacation so she could sort out her thoughts. Just a few days. That's all.

Just her, her thoughts, and of course Rory.

But first, coffee.

* * *

Rory nearly tripped as soon as she walked through the front door of the Crap Shack. She looked down at the offending object that almost caused her to fall and was surprised to see that it was her mother's suitcase. Sitting next to the suitcase was a small duffel bag that she also knew belonged to her mother. Beyond confused as to what her mother's luggage was doing fully packed and by the door, Rory called out for her mother.

"Mom?"

"Rory?" Came her mother's reply. "Is that you?"

"Does anyone else call you Mom?" Rory asked as she set her purse down on the small table by the door and headed towards the stairs.

"Paul Anka would if he could talk. Sometimes he barks and it sounds like mom but that could just be me," Lorelai answered. A few seconds of silence passed. "Are you coming up or shall I come down?"

"I'm coming up," Rory responded.

At the top of the stairs, Rory was greeted by her mother whose look she could best describe as frantic. Her eyes had that wild and crazed look to them that she only got when she had a crazy idea. The smile on her face rivaled that of the Cheshire Cat but there was just something about that smile that told Rory it wasn't sincere.

"There you are kid!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I was just about to call you."

"What's going on?" Rory asked. "Why do you have packed bags downstairs? Are you and Luke going on a trip?"

Rory hoped that was the answer. She heard the rumblings throughout town and even a more clarified version from Sookie about what happened between her mother and Luke last night. Although the town did have a knack for twisting the details around and Sookie had a knack for not fact-checking. But if her mother was going on a trip, she and Luke could be possibly be going together and they could be using this trip as an opportunity to just get away from everything and reconnect. Okay…she didn't want to think about them reconnecting – at least not in that way.

"Oh no, Luke and I are not going on a trip together," Lorelai replied a little too quickly. "In fact you, my sweets, need to head on back to New Haven and pack a bag."

Rory tilted her head to the side and took a step back from her mother. The look on her mother's face was starting to freak her out. "Wait, what?"

"Catch up!" Lorelai declared as she moved past Rory and bounded down the staircase. "Pack a bag! Head back to New Haven and pack a bag." At the bottom of the staircase, she made a beeline for Rory's room. "Or you may have enough stuff here to pack. Hell you can even borrow my clothes. This time only though."

Rory followed er mother into her childhood bedroom. "Why do I need to pack a bag?"

"Boy that Yale education is not paying off. Maybe you should of went to Harvard," Lorelai replied as she began to rifle through dresser drawers to see if her daughter had enough clothes for a trip. "You need to pack because you and I are hitting the open road. We're going on a trip."

Rory stood by her bed silently as her mother grabbed a duffel bag from the closet and began to shove clothes into it. She feared the worst. Last time her mother acted this frantic and demanded that she pack because they were going on a trip was because of a broken engagement. The rumors going around town only heightened her suspicions. She tried to check her mother's left hand for a ring but her mother was too fast. She was a human blur.

Lorelai stopped her packing when she noticed Rory just standing there. "What are you doing babe? I told you to pack."

"Mom," Rory said softly. "What's going on?"

"Well I was thinking about you today and I know that today is the day that Logan was supposed to leave for London so I figured a trip with your dear mother would help you get your mind off of him leaving," Lorelai explained even though she knew it was a big fat lie. "How are you doing by the way?"

"Fine." Rory brushed off her mother's question. She wasn't concerned with herself right now. "So this spontaneous trip has nothing to do with Luke?"

"Luke? Why would this have anything to do with Luke?" Lorelai questioned. "I told you this trip is to help you get your mind off of Logan. Listen sweetie."

"Well I may have heard some things. Things about you and Luke," Rory admitted. "Not so goodish things about you and Luke."

"From who?" Lorelai asked, her tone clipped. "What kind of things?"

"I stopped by the Inn because I thought you were working. Sookie asked me how you were doing after your fight with Luke because you never called her back. She heard it was pretty bad and that you left the diner in tears." Rory softened her voice. "Mom, what happened?"

"What it sounds like, we had a fight," Lorelai answered simply.

"Okay. Was it just a fight or..."

"Or what?"

"Or did you two break-up? Last time we had a spontaneous road trip was because you were not marrying Max." Rory took a deep breath before asking. "Is that was this is?"

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I honestly don't know. I haven't spoken to Luke since last night."

"Are you okay?"

Lorelai closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to control her emotions. No, she wasn't okay. She was far from being okay but that was nothing new. Not really anyways. She hadn't been okay for months now. After a few soothing breaths, she opened her eyes and turned towards her daughter.

"Rory, you know I love you. Please just give me this trip. I need this trip. I need to get away. Don't make me go alone. Just a few days. Just me and you. Just like old times." Lorelai sighed. "Please Rory."

Rory nodded quickly. She could read her mother. She saw just how much this trip was needed. Sure, she had things to do over the next few days but that could be handed with a few phone calls. Her mother needed her and that's what mattered. If her mother wanted a spontaneous road trip then the least she could do was tag along for the ride.

Roy started to move around the room, stopping every few seconds to grab things to pack. She found herself asking, "Where are we going?"

"That's my girl," Lorelai whispered to herself before answering Rory's question. "That's the best part! I don't know! We can decide that for ourselves out on the open road."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback so far! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

"Man, I can't believe I forgot my map," Rory complained. "Wait," she backtracked, glancing over at her mother. "I can't believe you wouldn't go by the apartment so I could get my map."

"You packed enough clothes at home so there was no need to go by the apartment. And it's not my fault that you only have one map that is only located in your apartment," Lorelai replied. She took one had off the steering wheel and picked up the giant CD case from the center console. She plunked the CD case down in Rory's lap. "At least this time we didn't forget the tunes. Now be a good little passenger and pick some music. I need my tunes. I'm thinking a little AC/DC."

Rory sighed as she began to flip through the CD case to find her mother's requested tunes. "Well as good as the tunes may be they are not going to help us if we get lost."

"We are not going to get lost," Lorelai replied.

"There's no way you can guarantee that. We don't have a map and not having a map equals getting lost," Rory retorted. "It's a basic road-trip fact."

"But if we don't know where we are going then we can't really get lost because where we end up will be where we were meant to be. Therefore we will not get lost because we will be where we are and that is a place where we will not be lost." Lorelai paused to take a breath before she nodded her head. "Yeah, that's what I meant."

Rory tried to follow her mother's train of through but that was like trying to understand the enigma that is Kirk or trying to understand why their town was constantly raising money for the bridge. A bridge which she never actually saw any construction taking place no matter how much money the town had raised. Just when she thought she had it figured out, something came along that blew her theory to smithereens.

"You lost me," Rory finally stated. "Just like we're going to be lost because we don't have a map."

"I was being philosophical," Lorelai explained. "And we're not going to be lost because of my philosophy!"

Rory abandoned her search through the CD case because she felt this conversation could go on for a while, and once she put the tunes on, all the hopes of maintaining a conversation with her mother would be lost. "Your philosophy should be that we stop at the next gas station and pick up a map so we don't really get lost by you trying to be philosophical," she argued.

Lorelai couldn't help but glance down at the gas gauge as Rory mentioned a gas station. She couldn't remember the last time she filled up the tank which meant she probably needed to stop to get gas. She inwardly scowled when her suspicions were proven correct by the needle leaning more towards empty than full. They would have to stop at a gas station which meant that Rory would get her precious map and their last-minute spontaneous road trip would now have a sense of direction. It's not that she detested the idea of a map but she just liked the idea of just picking a direction and driving with no map to point them in a certain direction.

"Fine," Lorelai grumbled. "We will stop at a gas station not for your map though, but for gas. And possibly snacks and coffee."

Rory smiled smugly, "Snacks, coffee, and a map. A map so we won't get lost."

Lorelai sighed dramatically but still maintained the smile on her face. She took her eyes off the road for just a second to look at her daughter. "Well my money is not going to a map but I can't control where your money goes."

"Well just think about it this way; if we have a map then we can pick a destination. Then maybe with a destination in mind we won't end up at someplace like The Cheshire Cat again," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai stuck out her tongue as she made a disgusted sound, "Blech. As soon as I get those awful memories out of my head, you bring it up again. You devil child. I'm going to have nightmares about that tonight."

"Well with a map we could possibly avoid another Cheshire Cat situation," Rory replied. "With a map we can decide on a destination and then we will have a direction and no Cheshire Cat situation."

Lorelai patted the steering wheel once. "Or we could just let the jeep decide."

"This jeep is old and breaks down a lot, letting it decide where to go is probably not the best idea," Rory pointed out. She glanced out the window as they whizzed past a sign. "Ooh gas station, next exit! My map awaits me."

Lorelai merged into the next lane and prepared to get off at the next exit. "Now don't go crazy and buy out all the maps."

"I make no promises," Rory replied. She looked down at her mother's purse as her cell-phone began to ring. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

Lorelai shook her head, she already knew who was calling her. Someone she didn't particularly want to talk to at this point. "Nope. This weekend is just you and me. I don't have to accept calls. Sookie and Michel can control the Inn, so there should be no calls from there."

"But what if it is Luke calling to talk about what went on between you two?" Rory asked, carefully watching her mother's expression so she could try to understand the situation at hand.

Lorelai gave a casual shrug of her shoulders, "Well then it's Luke. Too bad I'm not accepting calls this weekend." In her head, she told herself that wasn't true. She knew that she would answer his call at some point but it wouldn't be in the car and not when she's right next to her daughter.

"Mom," Rory said exasperated. She knew that if they could just talk then they could work through whatever was going on. She knew a little about things but her mother was also being very tight-lipped about her relationship with Luke. Just then a thought crossed her mind. "Does Luke know that we are going on a trip?"

"Well..."

"Mom!"

"Rory," Lorelai droned.

"I know something happened between the two of you and you're probably still upset and probably still mad at him but you should have at least told him that you were leaving town," Rory replied.

"New road trip rule!" Lorelai declared, avoiding the situation at hand. She pulled off onto the exit and began heading down the road to the gas station before she replied. "No more talk of anyone whose name begins with an L. So that means no Logan, no Luke, no Lance Armstrong."

"But I was just..."

"You were just nothing," Lorelai interrupted. "You were encroaching into the land where my road trip rules don't apply. Stay in the land where my road trip rules apply please. I made the rules for a reason."

"What happens if I don't?" Rory challenged.

Lorelai smiled as she pulled up next to a gas pump at the gas station. "Then I leave you here and you can use your precious, coveted map in order to get home."

"Evil woman," Rory said as she narrowed her eyes. "You do realize that your name begins with an L and my birth name begins with an L, right?"

"Yes but we don't call you by your birth name, we call you Rory," Lorelai remarked. "And as far for me then you can call me Roxie."

Rory scrunched up her face. "I'll just stick with calling you Mom."

Lorelai gathered her purse and moved to get out of the jeep, "Just go get your precious map," she said with a smirk on her face.

* * *

 

Luke snapped his cellphone shut as his call was forwarded to Lorelai's voice-mail. That was the third time today that he attempted to call her cellphone only to have his call end up going to voice-mail. He didn't have any better luck by calling her house phone. Every call ended up being answered by the answering machine. Of course he did leave messages on both her answering machine and voice-mail telling Lorelai that he wanted to see her and wanted to talk to her, but she had yet to call him back.

The earlier calls he made were sporadic since he had to make them during a hectic and exhausting morning rush combined with an equally hectic lunch rush. But now, he sat alone in his apartment trying to get in contact with Lorelai. He knew that they needed to talk about what happened the night before. They needed to clear things up. He was sure that if they could just try and talk this out again that things would be okay. They would be okay.

After she left his apartment the night before, he waited for a while before reappearing in the diner and kicking everyone out. He wasn't sure where he should go but he didn't want to sit at home, so he went to a bar. He didn't go after Lorelai or even check at her house for her because he felt that they both needed to cool off and process. He still didn't see why Lorelai couldn't understand that he needed time with April. He had his daughter to consider. He considered Rory when Lorelai wanted to postpone the wedding until things were right between them. He was in the same situation now with April. He just wanted Lorelai to give him the same respect that he gave her with Rory.

After calling her cellphone and house phone one more time each, Luke decided that he needed to go and see her. He could afford to leave Cesar by himself at the diner now, they were in a lull anyways. After telling Cesar that he was heading out for a while, Luke decided to stop by the Inn first. Lorelai was most likely working today, she didn't always answer her phone when she worked.

Arriving at the Inn, Luke began to look around immediately for Lorelai. He didn't see her jeep where it was usually parked but that didn't mean anything. He walked through the lobby of the Inn and internally groaned when he noticed that Michel was the only one at the front desk. He would have to deal with the snooty Frenchman and he didn't like snooty French people.

Michel gave Luke a look of disgust as he approached. "It's you," he said drolly. He rolled his eyes at the flannel-clad man. "What do you want?"

"Is Lorelai around?" Luke asked, trying to remain civil.

"She didn't come in today. As usual, she's leaving me to do all the work," Michel complained. "I should be the owner with as much as I do around here."

"Look, I'm not in the mood to play games," Luke responded, an irritated edge to his voice. "I really need to talk to Lorelai. Where is she?" he questioned.

Michel narrowed his eyes. "I'm serious. She didn't come in today. In fact she called earlier and said she wouldn't be in for a few days so I'm in charge."

"Did she say why?" Luke asked.

Michel groaned, "You've taken up enough of my time. I have an Inn to be in charge of, I'm busy," he replied before walking away from the front desk not giving Luke a chance to ask any other questions.

Now, a little more pissed off since he had to deal with Michel, Luke stomped out of the Inn and made his way back to his truck. Michel comment about Lorelai calling in and taking a few days off really worried him. She normally loved working and only took days off if she really needed to. But he wasn't sure why she would need to take a few days off. Unless it had to do with their fight last night. Yes, it was one of the worst fights but he still didn't understand the need for her to take a few days off.

Luke jumped in his truck and sped his way towards Lorelai's house. He needed to talk to her and tell her that he did love her, that they would be okay, that they could work through this, but he would still need to take a little time to figure out things with April. They could sit down and talk, talk through everything that happened last night. They could figure things out.

When Luke pulled up in front of Lorelai's house, he immediately noticed that her jeep wasn't at home however Rory's car was. She could still be home even if her car wasn't. Even if Lorelai wasn't home, Rory might be home and he could try to find out from here where Lorelai is. He got out of his truck and headed for the front door.

"Lorelai," Luke called as he knocked on the door.

He waited for a few minutes and knocked two more times but still didn't receive an answer. He turned the doorknob only to find at the door was locked. He thought that was odd since she rarely locked her door but he didn't give it too much thought. Instead, he grabbed his keys from his pocket, found the key to the house, and opened up the door.

"Lorelai," Luke called out yet again to what seemed to be an empty house. He began to walk through the house, "Lorelai, are you here?" he called louder.

Luke did a quick sweep through the house but saw no signs of Lorelai or Rory. He did notice that Lorelai and his bedroom had clothes thrown all around the floor, but the room looked like that sometimes. He hadn't slept over in a while so there was bound to be a little mess.

Upset and now even more worried since he couldn't find or even get in contact with Lorelai, Luke headed out of the house only to be stopped by Babette who was rushing towards him from her front porch and calling his name. For once, he was almost grateful for her presence. Since she lived next to Lorelai, she was bound to know something about Lorelai. She knew everything else.

"Oh Luke, thank God I caught ya," Babette said in between trying to catch her breath. She leaned on Luke's arm until she was able to breathe properly again and speak. "Lorelai forgot to bring over Paul Anka's leash before she left and since Sookie is watching him, I thought she might need the leash. I used the spare key to Lorelai's house this morning and I accidentally lost it. Could you get the leash for me?"

What did she just say what he thought she said? That Lorelai left? That couldn't true. Yeah, they fought just the night before but she wouldn't just leave without telling him. Though, her leaving made sense with the comment Michel made about her taking a few days off. But still, she wouldn't just leave without telling him. He was sure of that. Babette was continuing to babble about how she misplaced Lorelai's key and the weird things Paul Anka had done at her house. Luke needed to make sure that he heard her right.

"Wait a minute Babette," Luke said holding his hand up to stop her babbling. His other hand rubbed at his temple as he tried to process what Babette had said just a few seconds earlier. "Did you say that Lorelai left?"

"Yeah," Babette said with a nod of her head. "You know, she and Rory went on that trip. She said that they just needed some mother-daughter time so they were going out of town. I'm supposed to watch Paul Anka until Sookie picks him up tonight. Sookie is watching him because she said that dog would bond with Davey or something." She stopped speaking when she noticed the forlorn expression on Luke's face. "Oh honey, you knew about this didn't you? I heard about your fight but I told Lorelai that you two would be fine. I thought she told you about this."

Luke tried to compose himself. He knew that if he gave Babette the slightest idea that he didn't know about Lorelai going out of town, it was going to be spread around town within minutes. They were probably already talking about the fight, whatever they knew about it. He didn't need them to talk about this, who knows what they could come up with then.

"Yeah," Luke said probably a little too brightly as he lied through his teeth. "I just...I um...I just mixed up the time when she was supposed to leave. I knew they were going somewhere. I definitely knew."

Babette looked at him skeptically, unsure if she believed him or not. Something in his demeanor made her not want to believe him. If he didn't know, maybe things were worse off between Luke and Lorelai than she thought. "Okay Luke, if you say so," she said, trying to convince herself that she believed him.

Dimly he remembered something about Paul Anka and a leash. "Didn't you say you needed Paul Anka's leash?" he asked to which Babette nodded in response. "Let me get that for you, be right back."

Babette watched as Luke disappeared into the house. She still didn't believe him that he knew about Lorelai going out of town, his expressions betrayed him. Surely things couldn't be that bad between them, that Lorelai would keep something like this from him. They were a couple that was supposed to be together, they had to be together.

With the leash in his hand, Luke walked out of the house and handed it off to Babette. She quickly made an excuse to head back to the house and he was sure that she was off to spread the latest gossip which involved him and Lorelai. Once she was gone, he found himself walking back to the house and collapsing down on the porch swing.

Luke felt his stomach drop as he remembered the last time Lorelai suddenly took off on a road-trip with Rory. The last time was when she called off the wedding to Max. His mind raced of thoughts of what this meant for him and Lorelai. Surely it didn't mean the same thing that it did for Max. It was only a fight. Yes, it was one of their worst fights and Lorelai walked off but this didn't mean things were over. They couldn't be over. She couldn't just call it off like this, without a single phone call.

Luke reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his cell-phone once again. He hit speed-dial for one that Lorelai had set up long ago so it was easy to reach her. He waited as the phone rang and rang, hoping that Lorelai would answer this time but when her voice chirped on the phone informing him that he had reached her voice-mail, he slammed his phone shut and forcefully dropped it down.

Panic, worry, anger, all coursed through his veins at the moment. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to feel. He was worried that Lorelai and Rory both might not be safe since he had no idea where they could be. He was angry that she hadn't told him that she was taking off and angry that she wouldn't even take the time to answer his calls. He was panicked over the thought of losing her for good.

One horrifying thought popped into his mind as he thought back to last night.

Lorelai doubted that he loved her. God, he never wanted to be the person that made his partner doubt that he loved them. They weren't the type of couple that said 'I love you' to one another every day and they both knew that, but he never thought that Lorelai would doubt that he loved her. He never wanted to make her feel like that.

And he wanted to marry her, he did. He wanted nothing more than to marry her. He wanted her to be his wife, to be the mother to his children, to be the person that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, to grow old with. Still there was April, and that had him still all in his head. With April came Anna who was so concerned about April getting too close to Lorelai, but she shouldn't be. It was just all so much. Still so much to process.

Luke decided that he really needed to fix things but he just wasn't sure where to start.

* * *

 

Much later that same night, Lorelai sat on the edge of her hotel bed while Rory was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. After getting a map at the gas station and vetoing several towns that sounded familiar but were not some place she wanted to visit, she and Rory decided upon just heading to New York City. It wasn't such an original place to head on a road trip, especially since it wasn't even that long of a drive for them and could easily just be a day trip, but it was still where they decided to go.

Lorelai decided to head to New York City in the name of retail therapy. Plus they couldn't really decide on anywhere else to go and she really underestimated just how much she wanted to drive in the mood that she was in. Rory didn't argue with her mother at this point, wherever she wanted to go, she would go too. Plus New York City wasn't such a bad place to be.

After they made it into the city earlier and found a place to stay, they decided to head out and do a little walking around since they had just spent the past few hours in a car. They eventually found a place for dinner and just spent the time talking about anything but the L names that they were not allowed to mention at this point.

Lorelai found that it was easy to avoid talking about Luke, it was just something that she just wasn't ready to open up about with her daughter just yet. There was too much surrounding the situation and she wasn't even sure what was going on herself, so she didn't want to bring her daughter in yet. She knew that rule she made about not talking about Luke or Logan would be broken this weekend because eventually she would talk to her daughter about Logan and eventually she would come clean about Luke. It was bound to happen. It couldn't stay inside for too long.

Lorelai looked up just as the bathroom door opened and her daughter walked out dressed in her pajamas.

"Bathroom is all yours," Rory said as she collapsed down onto her own bed. She laid her head down on the pillow, "Man, I'm so tired."

"Well just make sure that you get enough sleep tonight because tomorrow we are hitting the stores for a little retail therapy," Lorelai said as she gathered her pajamas for her suitcase. "And I'm planning to shop until we drop."

"Sounds good," Rory mumbled sleepily.

"Great babe," Lorelai replied before she walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

By the time Lorelai exited the bathroom, her daughter was already snoozing away. Lorelai was dead tired as well but she still wasn't sure how much sleep she was going to get that night. She kissed her sleeping daughter on the cheek before walking over to her suitcase and retrieving a small book that she had taken from her own room at her parent's house.

The book was her diary from before, during, and after she was pregnant with Rory. So basically just her diary from her teen years. She thought that she lost it long ago when she left her parent's house. But spending the night in her old bedroom led to the discovery of the diary.

Lorelai sat down on her bed, crossed her legs, opened up her diary, and was about to take down a trip down memory lane when her cell-phone rang once again. It had been silent for the last couple of hours, except for a call from Sookie with a question about Paul Anka, but now it was ringing again and she could think of only one person who would call her at this time of night.

Her suspicions were proved correct when she looked down at the screen and saw Luke's name flashing up on the screen. She took a deep breath and considered not answering the phone, it would serve him right for not coming after her last night and for how he treated her lately, but she knew that if he were gone away that she would be panicking if he wasn't answering her calls.

Lorelai picked up the ringing phone and walked over to the glass door in their hotel room that opened up to the balcony. She opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony, making sure to be quiet as she shut the door behind her. She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall before holding the phone up to her ear and answering.

"Hey," she greeted tentatively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos. Hope you enjoy this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

_Lorelai picked up the ringing phone and walked over to the glass door in their hotel room that opened up to the balcony. She opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony, making sure to be quiet as she shut the door behind her. She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall before holding the phone up to her ear and answering._

" _Hey," she greeted tentatively._

She could hear the surprise in his voice when he said her name, "Lorelai."

"Well that is whose number you dialed," Lorelai replied. "So tell me caller, what can I help you with on this lovely evening?"

"What's going on Lorelai?" Luke practically growled into his end of the phone-line.

Lorelai could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't in the mood for one of her games. "So I guess that you've heard."

"You mean that my fiancée went out of town without telling me?" Luke asked, an angry tone clipped his voice. "Yeah, I heard. Let's see I had to hear from Michel that you took a few days from the Inn. And then I had to hear from Babette that you and Rory went on a trip."

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah, that's pretty much all of it. Seems like you're all caught up. What are you calling me for?"

"Lorelai," Luke said in a warning tone.

"What do you want me to say Luke?" Lorelai snapped. "Yes, I took a few days off from the Inn and yes Rory and I went on a trip."

"And you just didn't think to call me and tell me that you were going out of town?" Luke questioned, the anger still seeping into his voice.

Lorelai pushed away from the wall and walked over to the railing off the balcony, she leaned on it and took in the sights of the city below. "Hmm that must have slipped my mind."

"This is not a game Lorelai," Luke snapped. "Where the hell are you?"

"I told you that already. Rory and I took a trip. We're out of town."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say? I've been worried all day about you."

"Well there is no need for worries Luke. Rory and I are both fine. We just decided to take a little trip, a little mother daughter time," Lorelai replied as she tried to keep her cool while it seemed that Luke wanted to do nothing but yell at her. "We're fine," she stressed. Physically, yes she was fine, but emotionally, no she was not fine at all.

"What is this to you? You decide to go on a trip and you don't call your fiancé?" Luke questioned.

Lorelai scoffed, "Wow, excellent choice of words there."

"What is that supposed to be mean?" Luke grumpled.

"Seriously do you remember nothing that has gone on for the past few months? Do you remember nothing from our talk last night?" Lorelai shot back. "And here I am using the term talk very loosely, just so you know."

Luke let out a harsh breath. "Is that why you didn't bother to tell me about you and Rory going on a trip?" he asked. "Because I didn't tell you about April right away? We already talked about that. I apologized for not telling you right away."

"God Luke, I may have the appetite of a small child and still wear Hello Kitty underwear at times but I'm not that immature. I didn't keep a secret from you because you kept one from me," Lorelai sneered. "I meant everything that has happened since you chose not to tell me about April when you found out. Since you were the one that said we needed to be honest with one another and then turned right around and started keeping something from me. Start there and work your way to where we are and maybe you can understand why I needed to get away. I didn't tell you because I just couldn't talk to you."

Lorelai swiped at the angry tears that ran down her face while she waited for him to have some semblance of a reply. But as usual, in times like these, he was quiet. She understood that this was his nature, he was monosyllabic at times, needed time to process things, wasn't very good with words, but she needed him to say something at least. She didn't need the quiet, she hated the quiet. There were times when quietness was appreciated and even welcomed but this was not one of those times.

"Luke, please say something," Lorelai pleaded.

Lorelai could almost see him sitting there on the couch in his apartment hunched over with that look on his face like he wanted to say something but didn't know how to articulate his feelings. She held her breath when she heard him take a deep breath then begin to speak.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about April right away. You're right, I should have told you when I found out," Luke replied. "There is just a lot going on right now, I need time."

The breath that she had been holding was let out in a loud, angry huff. "Oh my gosh, this again," Lorelai screeched. "Time this, time that, that's all you say Luke. You don't even listen to me. That word is about to lose all of it's meaning to me. How much time do you need? And if there is a lot going on right then what, is it too much and you're going to break up with me again? You do have a track record."

"What? No, of course not," Luke stammered. "You know that I love you Lorelai."

Lorelai sniffled. "Well it's certainly not how I feel at the moment."

"I do, Lorelai," Luke said, his voice now softened. "I love you so much. I never wanted to make you doubt that."

"Then please just hear me out Luke," Lorelai replied. "Just let me get this out and please don't say anything else about you needing time. You've said that enough. Just listen."

Lorelai pushed away from the railing and began to pace around the small balcony. She took Luke's silence as confirmation that he was going to listen while she talked.

Lorelai took a deep breath before speaking. "When you didn't tell me about April, I thought it was because you didn't trust me. And then you kept me away, I couldn't even be in the diner when April was there yet everyone in town was there. You have no idea how much that hurt me, how I felt that you didn't even trust me enough to be around your daughter. I know you wanted your time and I was patient and I gave you that time. I was very patient. And we both know that I am not a very patient person at all, but I was patient for you. But you just kept pushing me away. I felt like you didn't want me around. We're engaged, we're supposed to be partners Luke. Maybe I should have said something sooner but I didn't. I am saying it now though."

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized. "I'm not sure what else to say right now besides I'm sorry."

"Well it's a start, a very small start," Lorelai replied in a small voice.

"Come home," Luke urged. "Just please come home Lorelai."

"No," Lorelai replied defiantly.

"No?" Luke parroted back. He sighed. "Lorelai, please come home. We'll talk. We can work through this, I know that."

"I'm not coming home right now. Rory and I are on this trip. We're spending time together. So no, I'm not coming home right now. You said you wanted time with April well now I need some time."

"Time for what?" Luke asked.

"To think," Lorelai replied simply. "To think if can do this anymore without you letting me in. I'm not going to allow myself to be treated like this anymore. I'm not that girl. I love you. I want to be a part of your life with April. I want to get to know her. From what I know, she seems like an amazing kid. I understand things are complicated with Anna but we're still partners Luke. That means we're supposed to deal with things together. I love you and I want to be with you but I am so tired of hurting," she sniffled. "So I'm taking a little time for myself. I'll be home in a few days."

"Lorelai."

"I have to go," Lorelai interrupted. "We'll talk later."

Without waiting for a response, Lorelai hung up the phone and headed back into her hotel room. She switched her phone off and dropped it onto the nightstand before she climbed into bed and tried to fall asleep. As least, she thought, she had the piece of mind of telling Luke how she felt and what she wanted. Now she just had to see if anything she just shared with him mattered enough for something to change.

* * *

'To meddle or not to meddle?' was the question on Emily Gilmore's mind as she sat in her parked car outside of Luke's diner. She was sure that after the events of the past couple of days that she was actually bonding with Lorelai. But stepping foot into the diner to have a little discussion with the man that was causing her daughter so much heartache could very well damage the bond that was slowly but surely forming. Still as mother she felt the need to protect her daughter and to make sure that her daughter was happy, it was all that any parent wanted for their child. If that meant trying to make Luke see what he was going to lose if he kept going on like this then so be it, she would meddle. Someone needed to reach out to this man.

With a determined gait in her step, Emily stepped out of the car and headed towards the diner. Despite the time of day, there was only one patron in the diner as she entered; a person of whom she recognized as the strange young man who stood with his face pressed up against the glass last time she came to speak with Luke. She registered the look of shock on Luke's face that quickly hardened as she approached the counter.

The last person that Luke expected to see in his diner today was Emily Gilmore. Honestly, he was expecting much of a crowd today since he was the only cook in the diner and everyone knew that whenever he fought with Lorelai his food suffered. After his talk with Lorelai the night before, he wasn't planning on opening up the diner today but he decided that it was better to go ahead and open the diner and deal with the few customers that would stop by than sit all alone in his apartment with only the beer in his fridge and his thoughts. Besides in between customers and lulls would give him time to think about what he needed to do to fix everything.

"Hello Luke," Emily greeted.

"Hello Mrs. Gilmore," Luke replied.

"I would appreciate it if I could have a moment of your time. I would like to talk with you," Emily said, her voice strong, almost commanding.

Luke grabbed a rag from underneath the counter and began to wipe the counter-top down. "I'm working. I'm busy."

Emily flitted her eyes around the diner, from the man at the counter next to hear eating the blackened toast to empty table after empty table. She focused her eyes back on Luke.

"Clearly you are very busy," Emily said snidely. "Thankfully though, I have a little time. I can wait."

With that Emily said hello to the man with the toast before she claimed a seat at the counter. She folded her hands in her lap and watched Luke intently as he did everything that he could to make himself look busy despite only having one customer, a customer who looked content to eat his toast and drink his chocolate milk in silence.

"Kirk, is there anything else I can get you?" Luke asked, avoiding Emily's gaze. "Whatever you want buddy, on the house."

Kirk, oblivious to what was going on around him, replied, "No. You know Luke, I like the toast like this. It gives it a little extra crunch, you should make it like this more often."

Emily cleared her throat. "I would like a cup of coffee," she requested.

Luke sighed and quickly filled a cup up with coffee for Emily. He knew without tasting it that it was a terrible batch of coffee, all his food and beverages tasted crappy when he and Lorelai fought. When they made up, Lorelai would tease him about being an emotional chef. But he watched as Emily lied through her teeth and told him it was a great cup of coffee and she saw why her daughter enjoyed it so much. Of course, she added in a snippy little comment at the end about how she had to wait to be served while Luke focused his attention on the only other customer in the diner.

Emily turned to the man that she now remembered as Kirk. "Are you almost done? It seems that you are keeping Luke busy and I really need to speak with him. Would you mind excusing us?"

Kirk looked down at the two lone pieces of toast still on his plate and then back at Emily. Her expression alone told him that his leaving really wasn't an option even though she may have phrased it as one. He grabbed a napkin and wrapped his pieces of toast in it before he walked out the door and started down the sidewalk at a brisk pace. Luke cleared his plate and carried it into the kitchen before he walked back into the diner.

"Your only customer just left, I don't think you're busy now," Emily said. "I would say now is a great time for us to talk. My time is running out, Richard and I are leaving for our trip soon."

Luke remained silent but focused his attention on Emily so that she knew he was listening.

"I'm sure you can guess why I'm here," Emily began. "I understand that you and Lorelai are having some troubles in your relationship. Now you may be wondering just how I know since Lorelai and I have had our fair share of battles and she doesn't share things with me but things have changed in the past few days. The other day I was with Lorelai showing her a house that Richard and I planned to give to the both of you as a wedding present when Lorelai confessed to me that the wedding was not going to happen." She looked Luke directly in the eye. "I have never seen my daughter so broken down as that night when she confessed that to me."

Luke didn't even know where to begin. He had no idea that Emily and Richard planned to buy them a house, Lorelai never told him. The reason she came to him Friday night asking him if they were going to get married suddenly made a little more sense. With everything he knew about Emily and Lorelai's relationship, he was surprised that Lorelai confessed anything to Emily.

"It's complicated," was all that came out of Luke's mouth.

"Life is complicated," Emily responded. "You and I both know that Lorelai rarely opens up to me, so for her to break down and confess something like that to me then something is definitely wrong. I talked with her, as any mother would do for their child, I told her to talk with you. Surprisingly, she took my advice. That night she talked with you was because I told her to talk with you and try to fix things. Imagine my surprise when she shows up at my house in tears. She broke down again but she eventually opened and talked with me. She is hurting Luke. She is hurting because of you."

Luke nodded his head, it physically pained him that he hurt Lorelai in such a way. "I already know that, we talked last night."

"And?" Emily encouraged.

"She and Rory went on a little trip," Luke said. "When she gets back into town, we are going to try and work through things."

"Good," Emily replied. "She loves you Luke. But if you continue to keep her separate from the life you have with your daughter, you are going to lose her. I know how bad that feels, you're going to want to do everything possible to keep her in your life. You cannot continue to shut her out, you have to find a way to have both Lorelai and April in your life. She wants a marriage, she wants a family Luke, and the only person she wants that with is you. I can't say that it's going to be easy because there is a lot to work through, but if you really love her like she loves you then you'll find a way to work everything out."

"I do love your daughter," Luke confessed. "I do want to marry her."

"Then do not let her walk away again. Do not let her go," Emily warned. "She deserves someone who is going to love her and take care of her. She wants that person to be you. If you let her go again then she may just not come back."

Leaving her parting words for Luke to mull over, Emily got up from the stool and headed towards the diner door. She noticed a crowd had gathered outside the diner, all trying to appear as if they weren't just looking in the diner as Emily made her way outside. She politely said hello to a few of those she remembered from past visits to Stars Hollow before she climbed in her car and headed back to Hartford.

* * *

"When you said 'shop until you drop', I didn't think that you meant it literally," Rory said as she followed her mother into their hotel room, both of their arms laden down with shopping bags of various colors and sizes.

Lorelai dropped her share of shopping bags onto her bed as well as onto the floor beside her bed. "Kid, you should know by now that I never joke about shopping. Besides we only bought things that we needed in some way. Not like the time we went shopping with my mother and she bought out every store. Thinking about it, I'm a little offended that you doubted my word."

"Momentary lapse in judgment," Rory defended. She dropped all of her bags onto the floor before she collapsed down onto her bed, her eyes closed when she sank her head into the pillow. "I'm starving but I'm not sure if I can move."

Lorelai turned to face her daughter with her hands on her hips. "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter? I thought that last stop for coffee would have perked you right up."

Rory picked her head up from the pillow and lifted herself up on her arm. "You're telling me that you're not the least bit tired? You have enough energy to go out shopping again or go out for dinner?"

Lorelai studied her daughter's face for a moment before she sat down on the edge of her bed. "Ugh no," she groaned as she fell back into the bed. The all-day shopping had taken it's toll on her as well. "But you're the younger one, you're supposed to have more energy than me. I should be the one complaining about being tired, not you."

"I must have missed that memo," Rory mumbled back. She laughed at the sound of her stomach growling loudly. "Man I'm so hungry. Why didn't we stop for food before we came back here?"

"You wanted to put all your bags down before we went to eat anywhere," Lorelai replied. From her laid-back position on the bed, she tried to gesture around the room. "Hence the reason for us being back here."

"So this is all my fault?" Rory asked.

"Yep!"

"Blame the daughter, nice strategy."

"It's a mother's privilege," Lorelai reminded her as she scooted up the bed then turned on her side to face her daughter. "I'm the one that spent hours and hours in labor with you so I am allowed to blame you for the fact that I do not want to get out of this bed to get us something from dinner because I am tired."

Rory turned on her side to face her mother's bed. "Is it also a mother's privilege to let their one and only, precious daughter die of starvation in a hotel room?"

"If that daughter is the reason that we are back in the hotel room, both camped out on the bed complaining about how tired we are and with no desire to actually get up and get something to sustain us?" Lorelai asked but then quickly answered her own question. "Then yes, that is also a part of my privilege."

Rory laughed as her stomach growled loudly once again. "Well I wouldn't say I have no desire, but I don't think I have the energy."

Lorelai suddenly popped up from the bed, just a little more energetic than before. She grabbed her purse then dug through her shopping bags until she found a discarded brochure from a chinese restaurant that promised delivery.

"Aha!" she proclaimed as she waved the brochure around. "Thanks to the handy invention of restaurants that offer delivery, we no longer have to go out to get food. We can be lazy, stay in, and still get food."

"How do we even know if that place is any good?" Rory asked. "That guy just handed you the brochure, it could be terrible chinese food."

"It can't be any worse than Al's," Lorelai reasoned.

"Not many places are," Rory replied. She pushed herself up from her bed and joined her mother on her bed. "What are we in the mood for tonight?"

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders then looked over at her daughter. "The usual?"

Rory nodded, "The usual sounds fine to me."

While her mother located the number for the restaurant on the brochure then proceeded to dial said number to order their food, Rory busied herself trying to clear up their shopping bags so they weren't in the way. She loved the idea of retail therapy as much as her mother but she knew that whatever happened between her mother and Luke was definitely taking it's toll. She hadn't yet told her mother but she overheard a part of her mother's conversation with Luke last night. Her mother may have taken the call outside to the balcony but her raised voice still traveled into the room. She couldn't make out anything that was being said but the tone was not one of a loving phone call.

There were times when they were shopping today that she saw her mother's shield drop, like when they happened to pass by a store with wedding dresses displayed in the window. But with her mother being Wonder Woman, she quickly recovered and forced a smile on her face before she drug Rory into another store. She wanted to question her mother because things like this were not best kept bottled up but do to the road trip rules that she so explicitly stated in the car, she was not allowed to talk about Luke.

"Okay the food is ordered and on the way," Lorelai announced breaking Rory out of her reverie. "Now all we have left to do is wait for it to arrive."

"Great," Rory replied with a smile.

With a little renewed energy now that their food was ordered and on the way, Lorelai and Rory moved about the room alternating between setting their shopping bags aside and occasionally going through them in order to review their purchases. When their food arrived, they camped out on Lorelai's bed, sampling all the different dishes she ordered while simultaneously flipping through the TV channels in order to find something to watch.

"So, verdict?" Lorelai asked as she gathered up the half-empty take-out containers and set them aside. She dumped a couple of empty ones into the trash.

"Well it is better than Al's," Rory commented.

Lorelai sat back down on the bed next to her daughter and crossed her legs, "I'm going to need more than that hon. Most places are better than Al's."

"Okay. I would probably eat it again but it's not worthy of a special trip here again just to eat the food," Rory replied. "Good but not worthy."

Lorelai nodded her head. "Good verdict," she agreed.

Just then, Rory's cell-phone rang. Paris' name flashed up on the screen. Rory picked up the phone and indicated to her mother that she was going to take the call. While Rory went out onto the balcony to take the call, Lorelai moved around on the bed until she sat with her back against the headboard. She reached onto the nightstand and grabbed her old diary. It took her a moment to decipher her loopy, teenage scrawl but when she did, she began reading through it easily.

She couldn't help but chuckle as she skimmed over a few of the very first entries. They were mainly about her parents, Emily and Richard, as she referred to them instead of mom and dad. Then there were a few references to certain dictators that she was sure fit her parents around that time. More mentions of Christopher began to pop up over the next few pages as their teenage love story began. Skimming over those pages and reading about her teenage self thinking that she was head over in heels in love with Christopher, just made her think of Luke and how Luke was the only person she ever truly loved. Christopher was the past, she knew that. Luke was the present and hopefully the future if they could just work everything out.

Lorelai breezily flipped through the pages until she saw mentions of her being pregnant pop up. She flipped to the very page where the word 'pregnant' popped up for the first time. She realized it was before she ever truly knew about Rory but all the hints were pointing towards a baby. Needless to say, it was a full page of her freaking out. She read on until she found the page where a pregnancy test secretly taken at school confirmed what she already knew.

"What are you reading?" Rory asked, breaking Lorelai out of her reverie.

"My old diary," Lorelai informed her daughter. She patted the spot next to her, "Come sit. I just found out about you."

"Well if it's about me then of course I will join you," Rory said as she climbed up on the bed next to her mother. She looked up at her mother. "Why do you have this with you?"

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. "I found it recently, decided it could be fun to read over it." She wasn't going to tell Rory exactly where she found the diary, at least not right now. She pointed to the page she was currently on. "See now this is where I wrote about taking a pregnancy test, no one knew about you but me."

"Not even dad?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shook her head, "Nope. It was just me." She nudged Rory with her shoulder. "And you. I told your dad a few days later."

"And how did he react?" Rory asked.

Lorelai chuckled. "Imagine any sixteen year old guy being told that there girlfriend was pregnant and that was your dad." She sighed, "And then all hell broke loose when the grandparents found out. Both sets of grandparents."

"That must have been really hard on you," Rory replied.

Lorelai nodded then smiled brightly as she looked at her daughter, "Well yeah, but it was all worth it. You were worth it," she emphasized.

Rory smiled, "Well I am pretty amazing."

"You are," Lorelai agreed.

Rory leaned her head on her mother's shoulder as they both continued to flip through and read certain entries from the diary. As they flipped through the pages, a picture fluttered out and fell onto the bed.

"This fell out," Rory said as she picked up the picture.

Lorelai smiled as she gently plucked the black-and-white picture from Rory's grasp. "Look at that, it's your very first picture. Well one of your first pictures anyways." She sat the book down in her lap as her fingers traced over the picture. "My baby girl."

Rory smiled at her mother and at the picture that her mother was gazing at. She furrowed her brow when she noticed her mother's hand fall to her belly and rest there while she continued to stare at the image. She noticed the small circular movements that her mother's hand traced around her belly. She pieced a few things together and suddenly a thought popped in her mind.

"Mom...are you…?" she trailed off hoping her mother might know what she meant.

"Am I what?" Lorelai asked, confusion masked her face.

Rory's eyes went from the picture in her mother's hand to where her mother's other hand rested. She then looked her mother in the eyes. "Are you pregnant?"

Lorelai choked back a laugh then noticed where her hand rested, she quickly snatched it back. "No Rory. I'm not pregnant."

"Oh," Rory replied. "Well with your hand where it was and then with whatever is going on with Luke, I just thought that maybe you were or something." She shrugged her shoulders. "And I don't know, you've been a little different lately but you haven't told me what's going on."

"It's not because I'm pregnant. Trust me, I'm not," Lorelai replied shortly.

She wanted a kid with Luke, reading through her diary just heightened that thought in her mind. Something she was longing for, something that could still happen if they could work things out. But at the moment, she wasn't too sure if she and Luke could work things out. Not if he didn't realize that he couldn't have two separate lives. Plus the possibility of another kid right now would probably just be something else that Luke couldn't deal with.

"Okay. Are you ever going to tell me what happened with Luke? I know you made the rule but I know you're upset about something and we usually talk about everything. I'm just worried about you Mom," Rory said softly.

Lorelai dabbed at her eyes where tears were beginning to form. "Luke and I had a fight."

"I know."

"A bad fight."

"What happened?"

"It's been months and months of the same thing, of him pushing me away, of him not letting me in, and it just all built up. I had to say something," Lorelai confessed. "And it just didn't go the way I thought it would. I'm afraid that Luke and I might not make it."

"Mom, that's crazy," Rory replied adamantly. "You know that you and Luke will be fine. You and Luke are meant for one another. You two can work through this, I know that."

Lorelai sniffled. "I want to believe that but I just don't know."

Rory wrapped her arm around her mother's shoulder and pulled her closer when she noticed that her shield was now down and she was crying. The one thing she hated most in the world was to see her mother cry and know that there was nothing she could do to help her. The only thing she could do that was remotely comforting was sit here with her mother while she cried and assure her that things would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos so far! Hope you're continuing to enjoy this.


	6. Chapter 6

"Home sweet home," Lorelai mumbled to herself as she walked through the front door of the Crap Shack with her bags in hand.

After spending the past few days taking a break from her regular life by taking a spontaneous road trip to New York City with her daughter, Lorelai decided that it was finally time to head back to Stars Hollow. She needed to get back to her life; the Inn, Paul Anka, and most importantly of all, Luke. She spent the past few days trying to keep her mind focused on anything else but her relationship problems with Luke but now reality had to be faced. For her, to face reality meant to talk with Luke, to talk through their problems, and hopefully work through their problems and get to a point where their relationship was no longer teetering on the edge of trouble.

They had barely came to a stop in the yard before Rory was out of the car and telling her mother that she needed to head back to New Haven for a few different reasons. Lorelai didn't bother to make her daughter list any of the reasons because she knew as true as some of them may have been that Rory really just wanted to give her alone time so she could talk with Luke. That particular topic about when she would talk to Luke and what she should say to him did monopolize most of their conversation on their drive back from New York. So it wasn't a surprise that Lorelai headed back to New Haven so fast.

Lorelai dropped all of her bags in the entryway and promised herself that she would put them away later; though she knew that later could very well mean a few days from now. Still the bags would be moved at one time or another. She had a few other things to worry about at the moment besides a few bags cluttering up her house. Those worries came in the form of the Inn, Paul Anka, and most importantly Luke.

Luke.

She knew that she should let him know that she was back before he heard it from another source. A.K.A. her nosy yet caring, gnome-loving neighbor Babette. She and Luke had only talked twice more since their first phone call where she told him that she was on a trip as well as laid out how she felt now and for the past few months. Once she called just because she felt the need to hear his voice before she went to sleep. And then they talked again when Luke called to inform her that through Taylor's insistence on a red-light camera and Kirk's willingness to go along with whatever Taylor wanted him to, that a car crashed through a wall in his diner. He wanted her to hear it from him that he was fine and nothing but the diner wall was damaged in the crash.

Since she was curious about how damaged the diner was and since she needed to stop by the Inn as well as pick up Paul Anka from Sookie's, Lorelai headed back out the front door and made a bee-line for her jeep. She avoided a conversation with Babette by insisting that she was 'busy, busy, busy,' and really couldn't stop to chat. It took no time at all for Babette to turn around and practically run back to her house where Lorelai was sure she was already on the phone to inform of the gossip that she was back in town.

Lorelai parked her jeep down the road from the diner and intended to head straight there to see Luke. However a curious sight that was set up across the street from Luke's drew her attention. Apparently there was a new diner on the block that went by the name of Kirk's. It may have been an outdoor eating establishment but it did have Kirk in a flannel shirt and a backwards baseball cap, which Lorelai deemed as ridiculous on Kirk. It was only a look certain people could pull off.

"Lorelai," Kirk greeted as she came closer to his own little diner. "Good to see you."

Lorelai looked around at the certain townies that seemed to take to this idea of a diner. She turned her attention back to Kirk, "What is all of this?"

"I saw a need and I filled it," Kirk replied. "I know you've been out of town but I assume you know about what happened to Luke's yesterday. Well the neighborhood needed a place to gather so..." he made a wide, sweeping gesture with his arms. "I opened Kirk's."

"Naming a diner after yourself? I've heard that somewhere before," Lorelai quipped. She quickly glanced back at the diner where she saw Luke's truck parked but saw no signs of the man himself. "Has Luke seen this yet?"

Kirk nodded. "Oh yeah, I even offered him a job here since his diner closed down. He was totally disrespectful and threw the application on the floor of my diner."

"Gee I wonder why," Lorelai said, her voice full of sarcasm.

Kirk being Kirk did not pick up on the sarcasm. "I have no idea. He should know how to treat one's establishment. He used to have a diner of his own."

"Right..."

Kirk picked up the coffee carafe and held it out towards Lorelai, "May I offer you a cup of coffee?"

"You know I probably shouldn't," Lorelai answered. "I'm on my way somewhere so I should probably," she made a few vague gestures that suggested she needed to leave.

"Nonsense," Kirk piped up. He reached behind him and grabbed a paper coffee cup. He quickly filled it to the brim with coffee and snapped on a lid before he held it out to Lorelai. "I've heard about you and Luke, so first cup is on the house."

Lorelai didn't even want to know what Kirk could have possibly heard about her and Luke. Gossip always had a way of getting twisted around in Stars Hollow. She accepted the cup of coffee and walked away towards Luke's before Kirk could try to engage her in another conversation. She had to admit that the coffee wasn't that bad, it wasn't the best cup she ever had but it certainly wasn't the worst.

Lorelai took a deep breath and slowly let it out when her feet hit the sidewalk beside the diner. For some reason she couldn't quite place, she felt the nerves set in as she turned the corner to head into the diner. She stopped in her tracks when she saw just how much Kirk crashing a car into the diner had caused, the entire wall was gone. She noticed the back of Luke's truck was full of materials to fix the diner but she still didn't see any signs of Luke. She took another deep breath and slowly let it out before she marched over to the door of the diner and entered.

Wherever Luke was at the moment, he must have heard the bells because the very next thing Lorelai heard was, "I swear T.J. if you're going to continue to talk about Liz in that way..." but that sentence never rounded out because Luke then entered the diner from the back. He stopped when he spotted Lorelai. "Lorelai, hey," he said, stunned. "You're back."

"I'm back," Lorelai confirmed with a nod of her head. "So what was T.J. saying about Liz?"

"Just some stuff that a brother really doesn't need to know about his sister. Stuff I don't want to hear," Luke replied. "It all had to do with her pregnancy hormones or something."

"Liz is pregnant?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh yeah, she is," Luke answered. "I found out the other day. I just haven't really had a chance to tell you between everything that has went on."

"Right, right. Well that's great," Lorelai said. She tried to ignore the signal that went off in the back of her head at the mention of Liz being pregnant. Between that and Rory's comment the other day, something was switched on in her head that that was almost impossible to ignore. She deflected those thoughts and just commented on the lack of the wall in the diner.

"It's a lot of damage," Luke replied. "It's going to take a while to fix. T.J. is trying to help."

Lorelai couldn't help but chuckle at the expression on Luke's face at the mention of T.J. helping him. She felt Luke's eyes stare her down as she took a sip of her coffee. "I tried to say no to Kirk but he basically shoved it in my face and then told me it was on the house."

Luke dismissed the idea that he should be mad that Lorelai supported Kirk's diner with a wave of his hand. "Forget it. His business ventures never last long. He'll get tired of playing diner soon," he commented. He sighed heavily. "So you're back."

"We've established that."

"I know. I meant...," Luke said only to be interrupted by Lorelai.

"I know Luke, I know what you meant." She glanced outside to make sure that no one was trying to listen in on their conversation. Even though she couldn't see anyone, she still took a step closer to Luke and lowered her voice. It was all fun and games to jump around to different subjects but she needed to approach the reason she was here. "So we should probably talk like we said we were going to do on the phone."

"Yeah, yeah, talking would be good," Luke replied. He gave a subtle nod of his head back towards the staircase. "Do you want to go upstairs and talk? I would be happy to send T.J. home right now whenever he gets back from wherever he's at if you wanted to talk now. I can work on this later."

"Um...you know I was actually going to check in at the Inn and then pick up Paul Anka's from Sookie's. I just wanted to come by and see you and tell you that I'm back," Lorelai responded. "But I was thinking that you could come over tonight and we could talk."

"Whenever you want me to, I will be there," Luke replied.

"Good. So tonight?"

"Tonight," Luke confirmed. "Any particular time?"

Lorelai thought for a moment then shook her head. "No set time, just whenever you want to come by. Just come over and we'll talk."

"Sounds good to me," Luke replied. He was a bit thrown by the awkward tension in the room but he knew it was the amount of everything that happened over the past few months and their impending conversation that weighted the tension. He reached out with his right hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Lorelai, I want you to know that I realize now that I screwed up. I love you and we are going to fix this. All of this."

The softness of his voice and the gentle yet subtle touch had a reassuring effect on her. It effectively squashed those unrelenting nerves that were there just moments ago. She was still amazed at just how much Luke could affect her with a simple touch. No one else ever made her feel the way that Luke did.

Lorelai nodded slowly. "Okay." She hadn't intended for her voice to come out that soft. "So, you, me, tonight at the house, and we'll talk."

"I'll be there."

"Great." Lorelai managed a small smile. "I should probably head to the Inn, make sure the power I gave Michel while I was away hasn't went to his head yet. You know, make sure he hasn't tried to fire anyone or offer services that we do not offer."

"I understand," Luke replied. "I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight," Lorelai confirmed.

Luke watched as Lorelai turned around and headed out the diner door. The reassurance that she was back in town and that their plans tonight to talk could be the starting point for them getting their relationship back on track, actually made him think that he could now work with T.J. for the rest of the day without wanting to completely tear the man's head off.

As if on cue, the man in question suddenly appeared in the empty space where the diner wall used to be. "Hey Luke," T.J. called out while he held up a bag of food. "I was thinking, we haven't had a lunch break yet so I brought ya something from Kirk's. He has pretty good food."

Luke groaned. No, they hadn't yet had a lunch break because they hadn't even started on the work they were supposed to do today. Maybe not wanting to tear his brother-in-law's head off wouldn't come as easy as he thought it would. His patience would be tested today.

* * *

"Here you go boy," Lorelai said as she sat down a bowl of dog food in front of Paul Anka.

Lorelai quickly took refuge in the living room since Paul Anka did not like people to watch him eat. Her first stop after leaving Luke's was the Inn where she assured a few staff members that they were not fired since Michel did not wield that kind of power. From there she went and picked up Paul Anka from Sookie's. She planned for it to just be a quick drop-in where she gathered Paul Anka and his things but Sookie made her stay for coffee and cookies. Of course the coffee and cookies were only a ruse so Sookie could find out if anything had changed for Luke and Lorelai since she last spoke to Lorelai. After updating her best friend as best as she could, she was finally allowed to leave the house with her dog.

Lorelai picked up the remote and turned on the TV in an attempt to get her mind off the place it kept drifting back to ever since she spoke with Luke. While she flipped through the many channels, she tried to convince herself that she was only focused on Liz's pregnancy because Rory just happened to ask her if she was pregnant a few nights ago. That was it. There was nothing more to it than that. She was only focused on it because Liz was Luke's sister and it was somewhat exciting for someone close to her to be pregnant.

At least that's what she tried to tell herself. Truth was though, she was a few days late. She vehemently denied the idea of her being pregnant when Rory brought it up a few nights ago but the thought of her actually being pregnant remained in the back of her mind for the rest of their trip. Of course she didn't tell Rory that. Then today when Luke mentioned that Liz was pregnant it was as if a little signal went off in her brain to tell her that she was indeed a few days late. Almost a week late.

Being late didn't automatically mean a pregnancy though. She knew stress could easily be a factor in why she was late and she was definitely stressed lately. Beyond stressed would be a good way to describe her mental state as of late. Besides it's not like she had any other symptoms of pregnancy. No cravings. No morning sickness. Nothing besides being late. Though she wasn't sure if any other symptoms would show up this early.

She and Luke always made sure to be careful though. Getting pregnant at a young age had instilled in her to always be extra careful when it came to birth control. Into her adult life, she always made sure to be careful, as careful as she could be. Lorelai tried to think back to if there was a time recently when she and Luke may have accidentally slipped up but nothing came to mind. Hopefully this was just a scare like last time she was in this position. Although at that point she wasn't technically even late, she was just paranoid because she craved an apple.

Whoever came up with the term pregnancy scare knew exactly what they were doing because this was definitely a scare. A pregnancy was definitely not needed at this point in her life. She and Luke already had so much else to work through that a pregnancy would complicate things even further. Besides a pregnancy would probably be something else that Luke couldn't deal with.

Lorelai groaned and buried her face into a pillow when she couldn't find something adequate enough on TV to get her mind off the topic of pregnancy. Just because two people happened to mention something along the lines of pregnancy within the past couple of days, it didn't have to mean anything. In fact it could mean nothing. Nothing at all. She was just being paranoid.

Paranoid. Not pregnant.

Just paranoid.

If only it was that easy to convince herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos! Let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

Lorelai stood in front of her open closet doors while she made quick work of putting away her purchases from this weekend. Instead of letting the bags possibly sit around for days and clutter up her house, she decided that the act of putting her new clothes away could potentially serve as a distraction to get her mind off of the thought that she and Luke could have possibly created a new life. Although she tried to focus on anything other than her pregnancy scare, she already made the decision that she would tell Luke about her scare. It was her effort to show him that she was trying to be open and honest in their relationship.

Lorelai felt that telling Luke was the wisest decision. In her heart, she knew that she wanted to be with him and work on fixing their relationship so she figured she would start by showing him that she was being open and honest by sharing the fact that she thought she might be pregnant with him. If she were to keep this from him and he find out at a later date, it would only serve to cause more problems on top of the problems they were already trying to fix. And that was something that they definitely did not need. Now she just had to figure out the best way to bring this up during their talk. If he freaked out over the scare then he freaked out and she would just have to find someway to deal with it.

Satisfied with her overstuffed closet and not at all focused on the fact that her wedding dress was shoved in the back of the closet so she didn't have to look at it every day, Lorelai shut the doors and made her way out of the bedroom. As she descended down the staircase, she heard the sound of knocks coming from the front door.

"Come in," Lorelai called out. She reached the bottom of the staircase and made her way to the front door.

As soon as Luke came into her vision, she was going to tell him that he didn't have to knock especially since she knew he was coming over but she stopped short when she noticed the bags he held in his hands. Obviously take-out from the diner. The smell that emanated from the bags made her stomach rumble and also made her realize that she was so focused on other things that she actually forgot it was closing in on dinner time.

"You brought over dinner?" Lorelai asked even though it was obvious that he did indeed bring over dinner.

"Yeah. After I finished with the repairs on the diner for today, I noticed the time and figured that I would make us a little dinner and bring it over. I thought since we didn't set a particular time for us to talk that we could have dinner together first," Luke replied. "I just made some burgers in the diner."

"You cooked in the diner?" Lorelai asked as she walked past him and headed towards the kitchen. "Your diner has a giant hole in the wall. In fact, it is kind of missing an entire wall."

"The hole isn't in the kitchen," Luke replied as he followed her into her kitchen. "The kitchen still works. If you don't want this though, if you've already eaten, then I can just put it away."

"Oh no I want, I definitely want," Lorelai said as she turned to face Luke. She had a smile on her face that could mean a few different things in regards to what she wanted. "So what did you bring?"

"For you I brought your favorite, cheeseburger and chili-cheese fries," Luke answered. "But for me a turkey burger and a side salad."

Lorelai thought it should feel weird with Luke bringing over dinner given all that happened over the past few days and with their important talk looming overhead but it felt strangely normal. Almost like they hadn't fought a few days ago and he hadn't just let her walk away and they didn't have so much to work through. Yet she knew that this was just the calm before the storm. Later things could possibly take a turn for the worse but for now she was content to enjoy dinner with Luke.

While Luke unloaded their food and set it out on the table, Lorelai grabbed drinks from the refrigerator. She took two bottles of water from the refrigerator before she joined him at the table. At first, conversation seemed to be at a standstill while they ate but then Lorelai asked about how it was working with TJ on the repairs and Luke had plenty of things to say about his brother-in-law. Most were not good. When Luke asked about Rory, Lorelai opened up about their trip to New York. The other topics they moved onto were in the same vicinity of safe topics.

Lorelai felt a sense of relief during dinner when she didn't have the slightest urge to take a bite of Luke's salad or turkey burger. Since she craved apples when she was pregnant with Rory, she took not wanting Luke's salad or anything remotely healthy as a sign that her pregnancy scare was nothing more than a scare.

* * *

 

"You lied to me Luke. For two months, you lied to me!" Lorelai tried to keep her voice even and at a reasonable volume but it seemed the more they talked, the louder she became. "We made a promise, no more secrets and then you lied to me! Two months Luke!"

After dinner, they retreated to the living room since they deemed it the most sensible place to begin their talk. At first they were both quiet, neither one sure where to start. But after a few minutes of silence, Lorelai was the first one to speak. She decided to start with what she thought was the obvious starting point, which was Luke not telling her about April in the first place.

Luke turned to Lorelai who sat on the opposite end of the couch from him. "I'm sorry. You know that it was never my intention to keep that from you."

"Really? So it was never your intention for me to find out about April by me coming into the diner and have her tell me that she's there visiting her father who happens to own the place?" Lorelai retorted.

"Come on Lorelai," Luke replied. "You know that's not it. I was going to tell you that day. That's why I wanted to talk with you but you were busy and then you were just there in the diner and April was there and you two talked..."

"I remember how things happened," Lorelai interrupted She sighed, "And I know it was never your intention for me to find out that way. But you kept this from me for two months. Two whole freakin' months you knew that you had a daughter and you kept it from me. There had to be time in those two months where you could tell me that you had a daughter."

Luke shook his head and let out a deep breath, "I know. I shouldn't have kept it from you for two months. I should have told you about April sooner. There was a lot going on and then I got caught up in my head. There was just never a good time."

Lorelai scoffed and resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes. "Of course there's never a good time to tell your fiancée that you just found out you have a twelve-year old daughter. But you tell her. You don't keep secrets. Especially when we had just promised each other no more secrets."

"I wanted to tell you, I did," Luke argued. "You were just so happy about Rory coming back and planning the wedding in one day. I didn't want to ruin that. Then the day I called Anna and told her I wanted contact, I came home to tell you everything but you came down the stairs in your wedding dress and you looked so beautiful and perfect, I lost all my nerve to tell you that day."

"I should of believed the stupid superstition of not letting the groom see you in your wedding dress before the wedding," Lorelai tried to joke. She blinked back the tears that started to sting her eyes. "That doesn't matter. You still should have told me when you found out."

"Don't you think I know that I should have told you?" Luke questioned. "I know that. I knew that the entire time before you found out. There's no good reason why I didn't tell you. I was trying to process the fact that for twelve years I had a daughter that I knew nothing about. I had no idea what to do."

"And that's just more of a reason of why you should have told me when you found out," Lorelai emphasized. "If you would have told me when you found out, I would have helped you figure out what to do. I would have been there through all of it, you know that." She looked away from Luke and softened her voice. "At least I thought you knew that."

"I do know that Lorelai," Luke replied. The soft timbre of his voice caused her to turn to face him again. "I know that you would have helped me if I told you. I never doubted that you wouldn't. I just..."

Luke didn't get to finish his sentence before Lorelai interrupted him again. Her voice was more accusatory this time, "Then why didn't you let me help out once I did find out? I wanted to help Luke. I really did. I wanted to be there for you and for her. I was already planning out things that you could do with April and that we could both do with her to make her feel like part of this family. But you just shut me out. You didn't even allow me the chance to help. You made the decision by yourself that I wouldn't help. That I couldn't help. I had no part in that."

"She's my daughter. My daughter that I didn't know about for twelve years. I wanted to get to know her better myself," Luke shot back. "I needed to get to know her. If she got to know you, she would like you better. It would be all over for me once you were in the picture."

"Oh my god, not this again!" Lorelai argued. She found that she could no longer sit on the couch and have this conversation. "That is probably the most ridiculous thing that you have said to me regarding this situation."

Luke felt if they were going to argue, it wasn't going to be with Lorelai standing and him sitting on the couch. He followed Lorelai's lead and got up from the couch. "Why? Why is it so ridiculous that she would like you better than me? Everyone does."

"You're insecure about this," Lorelai pointed out. "It's ridiculous because you're her father Luke. It doesn't matter that I could possibly bond with her over things that you can't because at the end of the day you are still her father. I'm just the woman in her father's life. She's never going to like me better. Christopher was never around for Rory, he screwed up many times, but she still loves him because he is her father. April will always like you better than me because you're her dad. Every little girl needs their dad. God knows my dad and I have had our ups-and-downs over the years but he is still my dad." She thought back to a few nights ago when her father comforted while she cried. "And I don't always like to admit it but I still need him sometimes."

Luke stayed silent and took in Lorelai's words. They had a similar but shorter conversation conversation not too long ago. It was right before April's birthday party. This time, though, Lorelai's words bared more weight. This time he was listening and taking what she said into consideration instead of just trying to have things his way. This was one of his ways of trying to fix what went wrong in their relationship. He figured that Lorelai was right since April did enjoy spending time with him even if all they really did was hang out in the diner. Maybe he was just being insecure about this.

Lorelai's voice cut through his thoughts. "You're not saying anything because you know I'm right. At least I think that I'm right so I'm going to think that you think that I am right as well. April liking me better was never a good reason to keep me away. She would never like you better than me."

"I just needed time by myself with April," Luke replied. "I thought, as her dad, that I should get to know her first before I involved anyone else in her life. I spent twelve years not knowing I even had a daughter. I missed out on so much."

"And I hate the fact that you missed out. I hate that Anna never told you about April. I can understand you wanting to get to know her a little first before you introduced her to me," Lorelai acknowledged, her voice soft for a moment before it turned just a bit harsher when she continued on. "But you never did that. I couldn't even come by the diner while April was there, which by the way meant that everyone in town got to know her better than I did. I never had that opportunity. You just shut me out of your life, over and over again."

"I know," Luke sighed. "You've told me all of this before."

"Well I'm telling you again because I still don't think you got it Luke," Lorelai commented. "I don't think you understand how that made me feel. You didn't let me in. You kept me from the diner while she was there. That hurt Luke. Really hurt." She angrily swiped at a few tears that rolled down her cheek. She was not going to cry right now. "I racked my brain and I sat up late for several nights trying to come up with a reason for why you wouldn't let me in and the only thing I could come up with is that you don't trust me."

"That's crazy Lorelai. You know that I trust you," Luke replied.

"No! No, I don't Luke. I don't know that," Lorelai exclaimed as she started to pace around the room. "I don't know that you trust me. You kept the fact that you had a daughter from me and then you continued to keep me out of your life with her. So, no I don't know that you trust me when I'm not even a part of your life anymore."

"You are still a part of my life!" Luke argued back.

"In what way? In the way that I'm only allowed in the diner when you say? In the way that you have a separate life from me that I'm only allowed in when you need help?" Lorelai halted her pacing and looked across the room at Luke. "In the way that I have been continuously hurt by the one person that I thought would never hurt me like this? In the way that I poured my heart out to that person only to have him let me walk away?"

Luke knew he deserved the way that Lorelai was looking at him. He had seen that look on her face many times before. He knew that was probably the look that she had on her face the past few months that he, for some reason, never saw. It was the same look she had on her face when she came back from many a Friday Night dinner in which she verbally sparred with Emily Gilmore only to come out utterly defeated. He watched other guys cause that look on her face, Christopher being the one that did it the most frequently. The look that she only let him see when Rory was living with her grandparents. He hated the pain on her face with that look. He hated every time someone caused that look on her face. By extension he hated himself at the moment for being the one to cause that look on her face.

Luke crossed the room to stand in front of Lorelai. He took both of her hands in his. "I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you." He let go of one of her hands and used his thumbs to wipe tears from her cheeks. "I hate that I made you cry. You still are a part of my life. I never wanted to make you feel like you weren't."

Lorelai pulled her hand free from Luke's grasp. She took a few steps back and crossed her arms. "I know you would never purposely hurt me. But I don't think you realize that I'm not that much a part of your life anymore. You're keeping me separate from your life with April and I don't know why Luke. So please enlighten me and tell me why."

Luke sighed heavily and averted his gaze to the ground. A shrug of his shoulders gave her his answer. He still followed that up with a few words. "I don't know. I know I said I wanted time and right now that just seems idiotic. I've done a lot of thinking over the past few days and I think I was just scared."

"Scared of what?" Lorelai asked quietly.

Luke looked up to meet her gaze again. "I don't honestly know. Maybe I was scared of losing you, of losing April, of losing everything."

"Well you sure had a great way of showing it."

"I know I went about it in the wrong way, I get that now," Luke replied. "I just had so much going on with April that I shut you out and...I..." he stammered. "I just still don't know why I was scared, but I was."

"I have a theory I'm willing to place up," Lorelai replied. She continued on not giving Luke a chance to ask her what her theory was. "You've never fully committed in a relationship. Yeah, you got married once but that was a cruise ship marriage that ended almost as soon as it began. You never really moved in with Nicole. All of your stuff was still in your apartment. Then when Rachel came back, you said you could get back together with her but you spent all your time at my house. You hardly ever spent time with her. I think you were scared because this, our relationship, is serious. We're engaged. I had the wedding fully planned out. I think you wanted all of this..."

"I do want this," Luke cut her off. "I do want to marry you. I want a life with you, kids and everything else that comes with a marriage."

"But I think as much as you want it, you were still scared. Scared that it might not work out or scared that you couldn't be what I wanted you to be or something," Lorelai continued. "I don't know. I think you were just scared. I was scared too because I've never had a relationship like this. I've never felt like this in a relationship. You are the only person I've really loved. But still as scared as I was, I didn't shut you out. We renovated my house for the both of us so it could be our house. For once in my life I wasn't running from something. But you...you used April to push me away."

Another silence fell between the couple. Luke wasn't sure how Lorelai did it but she managed to put what he was feeling into words. It was probably because she was constantly talking so she was naturally better than words than he was but that wasn't the part he needed to dwell on. He lost so much throughout his life, to him nothing ever seemed permanent. Then there was Lorelai. From the moment they became friends, she was a stable force in his life. Then they began dating and then they were engaged and she was officially cemented as a permanent fixture in his life. For once, he had something that he couldn't bare to lose. So, naturally, he retreated. He figured that she knew that she was permanently in his life so it wouldn't matter if he focused solely on April. He couldn't lose April. But by not wanting to screw things up with April, he screwed things up with Lorelai. That was painfully obvious now.

"You're right," Luke finally said. He started to pace around the room. "You're right about all of it. I was scared. I used April to push you away. I never meant to do that. I didn't want to talk about it. I was so scared of losing you that I thought if I faced all of this that what is happening now would happen to us. I don't know. I thought that I had to fix everything with April before I could move forward in our relationship. I couldn't screw things up with her. I had to focus on her. I thought you know how much you meant to me so it didn't matter that I was so focused on April. I thought I could fix things with April and it wouldn't matter. I didn't want to screw things up with April but I screwed us up."

Lorelai sniffled then let out a small chuckle. "You stole my moves. Avoiding problems is mine, you know that. I have claim on that one."

Luke let out a small chuckle as well. "Sorry about that."

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "Eh, I read somewhere that couples take on each others traits. As long as you don't start trying to borrow my clothes we'll be fine."

"You don't have to ever worry about that," Luke replied quickly.

"Good to know."

Luke walked over to Lorelai, took one of her hands in his and led her over to the couch. With her hand still clutched between his, they took a seat. "I don't want to push you away anymore. I want you in my life, full time. You deserve that. I know that I screwed up so bad by being an idiot but I want to fix this, fix us."

Lorelai nodded her head as a few tears escaped her eyes. "I want to fix us too Luke but I can't do any of this anymore if I'm not really in your life full time. I can't be pushed away anymore. It hurts too much. I don't even recognize the person that I have been the past few months. I'm not the girl that bites her tongue when she doesn't like something but that's who I've been. I can't hurt like this anymore."

Luke wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know. I see that now. I see how much I've hurt you. I hate myself for that. For years, I've seen other people hurt you and I never wanted to be that person but now I am that person. It breaks my heart to know that I did this to you. That you let me hurt you this way. I don't know why you didn't say something earlier. Call me out for being an idiot."

Lorelai chuckled and managed to smile. "You are an idiot."

"That I know."

"I was just scared to push you Luke," Lorelai admitted weakly. "That's why I didn't tell you. I pushed you before and then we broke up. I thought if I pushed you this time, that I would lose you. I couldn't lose you."

"So we were both scared but we didn't tell the other one that," Luke said.

"We have serious communication issues." She sniffled again. "I just thought you knew that I was hurting. For years you managed to see through the front I put up. You knew when to push to get me to talk or you knew just to be there with a cup of coffee when I was hurting. You always knew when I was more upset than I let on. No one else ever did."

"This time I was just too in my head to notice anything. I think I just took you at your word because I was afraid to look any further," Luke replied. His hand gently grazed Lorelai's cheek before he cupped it. "I'm so sorry for ever hurting you. I see now though. I see that I hurt you. I want to fix this. I need you to know and trust me that I want to fix this."

"I know and I do. Trust you that is," Lorelai responded. "I want to fix this. I want us to get better. To work through our problems. I really want to work on this."

"So we're on the same page."

"Seems so."

"Any idea on where we should start?" Luke asked.

"I think we already did," Lorelai replied. "In total honesty, I want to be involved in April's life. I'm not talking about spending every moment with her because you can have your own time with her but I think to really know that you won't push me away anymore that I should spend some time with her."

"I want you to know her. I want you to spend time with her. She still talks about her birthday party," Luke said which earned a smile from Lorelai. "Things are just complicated with Anna."

"Your April's father Luke, you have a say in her life just like Anna does," Lorelai pointed out. "I know how Anna feels and I get where she's coming from, we share the whole 'single-parent' thing but you need to have a say in April's life too. You're her parent too."

"I need to talk with Anna," Luke concluded. "I need to make sure that she knows that you are a part of my life which means you will be a part of April's life. Anna needs to know that I want you to be a part of April's life."

"I'll help you talk to her if you want," Lorelai offered. "Or at least come up with what you should say."

"We'll figure it out."

Lorelai leaned on Luke's shoulder. "We'll figure it out."

* * *

 

"I think I might be pregnant."

A deafening silence followed the bombshell that she just dropped. She hadn't meant to tell Luke in that way. She hadn't mean to blurt it out but a natural lull just fell in their conversation...or...well fight, whatever it was at that point and she couldn't take the silence. The confession just burst forth from her lips. When she realized exactly what she said, her eyes averted to the ground. It was a much better picture than the look of shock on Luke's face.

She planned on telling him earlier, in an effort to show him that she was being open and honest with him yet she didn't mean to tell him this way. She hoped that it would somehow come up organically in conversation but that didn't seem like it was going to happen.

They had moved to the kitchen now. They stayed sitting in silence on the couch for several moments before Lorelai admitted that their talk made her very thirsty so they retreated to the kitchen for something to drink. There were other things to talk about, they both knew that but it was getting late now. Still they figured after a drink they could talk some more. Lorelai leaned against the counter while Luke took a seat at the kitchen table. Her arms were wrapped protectively around her waist.

"You think...I don't..." Luke finally stammered. "Pregnant?" he finished. He couldn't even form a full sentence. Which wasn't always unusual for him with news of this nature. "What?"

"I think I might be pregnant," Lorelai said slower this time, taking the time to enunciate as clearly as she could. Her eyes flitted up from the floor and focused on Luke. "If we want anything to work between us we need to be open with each other. I'm trying to be open and honest with you so I'm telling you that I think I might be pregnant."

"You think you might be pregnant?" Luke questioned, finding the last word very difficult to get out. "Why?"

Lorelai sighed. "I'm late," she confessed. "Late as in a woman's monthly visitor hasn't showed up yet, late. But I'm not late-late where it's very real possibility that I could be pregnant. Just late as in a few days. Which could be anything," she rationalized.

Luke couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of her being pregnant with his baby. Not that he didn't imagine kids at some point for them but it was always in the future. Definitely not at the point where they were now. He couldn't wrap his mind around it because they were always careful. Beyond careful. Since their first night together, they always took the necessary precautions. They both insisted upon it.

Luke folded his hands together and pressed his fingers to his lips, trying to process this new confession that was thrown at him. He didn't know what else to say besides, "How?"

"Well Luke, when a man and woman love each other very much," Lorelai said, putting on what she thought of as a teacher voice.

"You know that's not what I meant," Luke said bitterly. "I mean, we're always so careful. I don't understand how this could have happened.

Lorelai pushed away from the counter and moved to sit at the table with Luke. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe we weren't so careful one time. Maybe we slipped up. All it takes is one time. I'm not saying that I'm pregnant though. I might be. This could just be a scare."

"A pregnancy scare," Luke stated.

Lorelai nodded. "It's probably just a pregnancy scare." She thought for a moment if she should tell him about her previous pregnancy scare but wrote it off. She could always tell him later. "Rory just asked me the other day if I was pregnant because she said I was acting weird and we were talking about when she was a baby. Then today you told me about Liz, so pregnancy is just on my mind. A few days doesn't have to mean anything. Like I said, it's probably a scare."

"How long have you thought you might be pregnant?" Luke asked, an accusatory tone to his voice.

"Just today," Lorelai answered. He had a skeptical look on his face at her answer. "I'm serious Luke. I mean it occurred to me when Rory brought it up and I thought about it then but it really occurred to me today when you mentioned Liz."

"We talked earlier, why didn't you mention it then?"

"You mean when we talked in the middle of your diner that is currently missing a wall?" Lorelai quipped. "I wonder how that would have worked out, talking about something very touchy in a public place."

"We could have went upstairs," Luke accused. "You could have told me earlier."

Lorelai groaned. "Look, don't be mad at me for this. I didn't mention it earlier because...I don't know why I didn't mention earlier. I was trying to deny it. I was trying to convince myself that this was nothing more than a scare. But we need to be honest with each other so I'm telling you now."

"I'm not mad," Luke replied. His tone suggested otherwise.

Lorelai scoffed. "Yeah, you don't sound mad at all," she said sarcastically.

"I'm not mad," Luke tried to soften his voice. "I just don't understand why you didn't tell me earlier. We talked earlier. You could have told me. You were talking about being open and honest with one another yet you kept this from me."

"For a few hours Luke," Lorelai stressed. "I kept it from you for a few hours. It's a hell of a lot shorter time than two months."

"I apologized for that," Luke shot back. "We just finished talking about that. I apologized over and over again for not telling you. I told you why I didn't tell you. I was scared about telling you. Then everything just caught up to me before I knew how to tell you about April."

Lorelai brought a hand up to her face and rubbed at her temple. "I know. But now you know why I kept this pregnancy scare from you until now."

"Why?" Luke asked.

"Because I'm scared Luke. I was afraid that when I mentioned the possibility of me being pregnant to you that you would just bolt," Lorelai admitted, the vulnerability made her voice waver. "I know we mentioned once that kids would be nice but we never had the talk like most couples do. So I was afraid...I'm still afraid that you'll just decide to bolt."

"I wouldn't..."

"Don't finish that sentence," Lorelai interrupted. "Don't say that. You freaked out enough over the April situation...you're still freaked out over that so you can't promise me that you wouldn't bolt. You barely have a handle on April, you couldn't handle me being pregnant. You couldn't handle a baby right now, we both know that. You may want kids but not right now."

"Lorelai."

"Tell me I'm wrong," Lorelai tempted.

Luke sighed and concentrated hard on the table instead of looking into Lorelai's eyes because she was right. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't freak out. He could promise that he wouldn't bolt because he already missed out on so much with April that he didn't want that for another child. But Lorelai was right, he wasn't ready for a baby. He was still trying to find common ground with April, a baby just wouldn't be a good idea at this point. And now he was trying to meld his life with Lorelai with his life with April, a baby would mean even more complications.

Lorelai took his silence as confirmation for what she already knew. "See I told ya." She sniffled and wiped at a few stray tears. Since Luke was still silent, she decided to go ahead and say what she thought needed to be said. "You and I both know that we're not ready for kids, at least not right now. There's already so much going on that a baby would just complicate things even further. We don't need this." She cleared her throat and knew that she had to face the possibility that she might be pregnant. "But if I am pregnant..."

Luke looked up to meet her gaze. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't freak out but he needed to show her that he did love her and that he was committed to her. "If you are pregnant then we will deal with it together," he interrupted. "I don't know how or what we'll do but we'll deal with it together."

"Together," Lorelai whispered.

"What do we do now?" Luke asked. He noticed the confused expression on Lorelai's face so he thought he needed to clarify. "I mean when will you know if you are pregnant?"

"Like I said, I'm just a few days late so it's still too early to tell anything. Home pregnancy tests won't tell us anything at this point, at least I don't think so. We have to wait a little while for that," Lorelai replied. "Or, you know, good ol' Mother Nature might decide to show up and tell me herself that I'm not pregnant. It could still be a few days though, a waiting game."

Luke nodded his head. "Okay."

"Okay."

* * *

 

After they left the kitchen and returned to the living room where they sat on the couch, Lorelai decided that in another effort to be completely open and honest with Luke that she would tell him about Christopher's appearance at Friday Night dinner which she assured him was only because her mother was trying to set him up on a date. At the mention of Lorelai's mother, Luke confessed that Emily did stop by to see him to talk about his relationship with Lorelai. Lorelai learned that Luke knew about the house her parents wanted to buy them and that she went to them on Friday Night when she left his apartment. Lorelai said those all were true and were both weird bonding moments with her mother that she admitted to him that she actually enjoyed. She then threatened him that her admission was not to leave the room because Emily wouldn't let her live it down if she knew.

"I'm serious Luke," Lorelai said as she playfully swiped at his chest. "That does not leave this room. People can't know that I might be actually getting along with my mother."

"I'll keep your secret," Luke promised.

"As long as you don't keep secrets from me," Lorelai countered. "You can keep secrets from others but not me. We can't keep secrets from each other."

"No more secrets," Luke replied.

"Good," Lorelai said with a smile. "I know that everything's not magically fixed and we still probably have things to talk about and work on but I think we did pretty good for tonight. Do you concur?"

Luke nodded. "I concur."

"We've argued a few times over the past few days and we argued again tonight," Lorelai said. She leaned close to him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "But I think we made up tonight. Do you concur on that as well?"

Luke nodded again. "I do concur." He captured her lips in a kiss, needy this time not soft like before. "I think there's one thing to do now that we made up."

Lorelai played innocent. "And what would that be?"

Luke pulled her into his lap and kissed her hungrily. "Make-up sex," he said before kissing her again.

"Fantastic make-up sex," Lorelai mumbled against his lips between kisses. "I think we're very deserving of pretty fantastic make-up sex."

"You're definitely right about that," Luke replied before he attached his lips to hers once again. While his hands moved over the buttons of her shirt, he feathered a trail of kisses down her neck and over her collarbone. A soft moan escaped her lips as he kissed, nibbled, and sucked at the skin there.

"Luke," Lorelai moaned. Her hands were steady at work trying to remove his shirt.

"Hmm," Luke hummed against her skin.

"Upstairs. Bed. Now," she demanded.

Luke gestured for Lorelai wrap her legs around his waist before he stood up and carried her across the living room to the stairs. Luke carefully maneuvered up the stairs since his vision was limited and Lorelai was sucking on his neck. He tightened his grip on her when she started to nibble on his earlobe.

"You're killing me with the ear thing," Luke said. "If you keep that up, I might end up dropping you down the stairs. That would not be a good way to make-up."

"Then hurry up and take me upstairs. Show me just how much you love me."

Luke was more than happy to oblige.


	8. Chapter 8

Lorelai woke up in a tangled mess of blankets and pillows. A lazy smile crept across her face as the memories of last night rolled through her mind – the good, the bad, and the breathtaking. She slowly stretched her arms above her head as she took her time waking up. Her eyes finally opened as she rolled onto her side and reached to the opposite side of the bed where she intended to find Luke but was instead met with an empty spot and cool sheets. A mild panic began to set in where she thought that last night may have been just an amazing dream but the clothes scattered about the room and the scent of bacon and eggs that now greeted her proved to her that last night was not a dream at all. She stretched one last time before slipping out of bed and heading towards the bathroom, swiping Luke's flannel from the night before and a pair of clean underwear along the way.

After stopping in the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, Lorelai walked down the staircase taking the time to button up the flannel before she reached the bottom.

As she entered the kitchen, Lorelai greeted Luke with a smile and kiss on the cheek before she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head on his flannel covered back, breathing in his comforting scent. She had missed this – waking up with Luke in the house or even in his apartment. Those days were few and far between lately. Some of it was avoidance on her part and the other part involved Luke and April and him keeping her away. But last night their talk/fight seemed to be a breakthrough for them, at least on the communication side of things, so hopefully it meant those days were all in the past and they could now move forward.

"Lorelai?"

"Hmm?" Lorelai hummed upon hearing her name, not bothering to move herself from being pressed up against him. She knew that she was probably being a little clingy even though she wasn't a clingy person but she just wanted the closeness to him for now.

"I need to finish up your breakfast," Luke replied.

"Well then you have my full permission to finish my breakfast. It smells great and I'm starving."

"The thing is, it's a little hard to move around if you're holding me like you are now."

"Oh," Lorelai gasped with sudden realization. She giggled and told him sorry before she unwrapped her arms from around him and moved to stand by his side. She looked up to meet his eyes, "I just missed this. Waking up with you here in the morning, being this close to you. I missed you."

Luke could still see a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. He knew it was there because of his recent actions of not always being around and him pushing her away but he was determined to prove to her that they were going to be okay and that he would involve her in April's life. Through their talk last night, they had already started in that direction.

He reached out and caressed the side of her face with his hand. "I'm sorry."

Lorelai shook her head from side-to-side. "You don't have to apologize Luke."

"I do," Luke protested. "I do need to apologize. I want you to know..."

Lorelai interrupted. "I do know Luke." She took his hand off the side of her face and held it gently in hers. "Trust me, I know Luke. You told me enough last night. You don't have to say it anymore."

Lorelai shook her head as Luke opened up his mouth to speak again. "If you're going to apologize again, save it. I'm serious Luke. I know. Please don't say it again."

"Actually I wasn't going to apologize," Luke informed her.

"Well then continue on with what you were going to say," Lorelai urged.

Luke brought his hand up and brushed a stray curl out of her face. "I love you."

A smile broke out onto Lorelai's face as she slipped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him. "Now that I do need to hear sometimes." She pulled him down to her and pressed her lips softly against his own. The kiss was slow, sweet, and full of love. She leaned her forehead against his when she ended the kiss. "I love you too."

The moment between the couple was soon broken as Lorelai's stomach rumbled which caused her to laugh. She pulled back from Luke and gestured for him to go ahead and finish up her breakfast while she moved to the coffee pot and fixed herself a cup. She sipped on her coffee and watched Luke as he plated her bacon and eggs. When he put just the one plate on the table, she turned to face him.

"You're not going to have breakfast with me?"

"Uh no, it's just that I need to go ahead and get to the diner. I really need to start work on it so I can get it reopened as soon as possible," Luke replied. "Working with T.J. it might take longer than I originally thought."

"Right," Lorelai said with a nod of her head. "Kirk will get tired of the diner business soon and then where will people eat? And I mean really good food not Al's special grab-bags of the week. Although sometimes those are good."

"They are never good."

"Agree to disagree," Lorelai shrugged it off. Her fingers traced along the buttons of his shirt. "Well since I might not see you today because I'm needed at the Inn, am I at least going to see you tonight? Are you staying here again?"

The vulnerability was back in her eyes. They hadn't spent many nights together recently. He noticed just how little of his stuff was in the house this morning as he got ready. Most of his nights lately were spent in his apartment, for some reason that he couldn't even place now.

Luke nodded his head slowly. "I'll be here," he assured her. "I'm staying here."

Lorelai smiled, "Good."

"Good," Luke parroted. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Now you're up, you're fed, and I have to get to the diner."

"See you tonight."

The couple shared another kiss before Luke was out the door and headed to the diner. Lorelai looked at the breakfast that Luke prepared for her and decided that she could eat it upstairs while she got ready to go to work. She topped off her cup with fresh coffee and grabbed a fork from the silverware drawer before she picked up her breakfast plate and headed upstairs.

* * *

 

"Good morning Sookie," Lorelai greeted cheerfully as she breezed through the kitchen at the Dragonfly and made her way over to the coffee pot.

Sookie watched as her friend poured herself a cup of coffee then moved to sit down on one of the few stools they kept in the kitchen. The one thing that stood out to Sookie was the smile that Lorelai wore on her face. The smile was genuine, bright, and oh-so very Lorelai. A smile that Sookie missed seeing on her friend's face. Lorelai wasn't herself these past few weeks but, judging just by this morning, it seemed that she was getting back to her old self. At least that's what Sookie thought.

"Someone's happy this morning," Sookie commented. She checked on the pastries she had in the oven before she moved to stand beside Lorelai. "I haven't seen you this happy in a while."

Lorelai grinned and nodded her head, "I am happy Sookie."

"Does this happiness have something to do with a certain diner owner?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai nodded her head again. "It does. Luke came over last night and we talked. It was a really good talk. We worked through a lot. I got a lot off my chest and so did he and now I think everything is turning around for us. We're going to work on things. I definitely feel a lot better than I have recently."

"Really?" Sookie squealed to which Lorelai answered with a nod of her head. She hugged her best friend tightly. "Oh this is great! I know you haven't been happy lately but now you seem happy again and I'm happy that you're happy again and I'm happy that you and Luke are happy together again."

"Whoa Sookie, that was a lot of happies in one sentence," Lorelai cut in before Sookie had a chance to overuse the word happy.

"I'm just happy," Sookie squealed before she wrapped her arms around Lorelai in another hug.

Lorelai laughed lightly and returned the hug as best as she could from her seated position, "Me too Sookie."

When Sookie asked for more details on her talk with Luke and more importantly the making-up part that happened afterward, Lorelai was delighted to divulge a few details from the night before to her friend. At least the work-appropriate details. The other members of the kitchen staff didn't need to hear that much of their boss' personal life.

"So how does April factor into all of this now?" Sookie asked. "Luke's not going to try and hide you anymore is he? You talked about that, right?"

Lorelai nodded her head eagerly. "Yes, all that was covered last night. I told him that I need to be in his life full-time and that includes me being in April's life. I told him that I wanted to get to know her, that I want to spend time with her. He wants me to spend time with her but there's just the problems with Anna that come along with me being in April's life. But he did say that he needed to talk with Anna."

"He should talk with her, April is his child too," Sookie acknowledged. "Do you think he's actually going to talk with her about all of this though?"

Lorelai hesitated for a moment then shrugged her shoulders, "I don't honestly know. I told him that I would help him and he said that we would figure it out but...he's still Luke. Talking with Anna could create more problems since she doesn't want me to be a part of April's life unless Luke and I are married. She's still worried since Luke just came into April's life so I just see more problems popping up when I do get involved. I can just see how this would end badly. And you know Luke, he doesn't like to create problems for other people."

"That is Luke," Sookie agreed. "But you said you guys talked last night so maybe he will see that this is something that he needs to do, that he needs to talk with Anna so she knows that you will be a part of April's life in some way."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, we did communicate more last night than we ever really have before. He just needs to get better with processing things and handling more than one thing at a time. I told him that I would help him out."

"And you are a great help," Sookie added on.

Lorelai smiled, "Exactly. I'll just remind him of how I saved April's party if he needs reminding. Not that I think he will because according to Luke, April is still talking about her birthday party."

Sookie poked her bottom lip out in a pout, "I still wish I could have been at the party."

"Of course you do Sookie," Lorelai replied. "I'll tell ya what, one night soon you can leave your kids with Jackson and we'll have ourselves a girl's night. We'll do all sorts of girly things that will make up for the fact that you missed the party."

Sookie giggled, "Sounds like a plan to me!"

Lorelai took one last sip of her coffee before she moved away off her stool and dropped her cup into the kitchen sink. "I should get back to work before Michel accuses me of putting all the work on him since I took a few days off. I already heard plenty from him this morning about his workload these past few days. Remind me again why we brought him to the Dragonfly with us."

"Because deep down we really, truly like him and it just wouldn't be the same if he didn't work here with us," Sookie answered.

"Right," Lorelai mused.

Lorelai turned around and left the kitchen now that Sookie was occupied with another one of her creations that was bound to be a hit. As she neared the front desk, she saw that Michel was busy on the phone. She moved to stand beside him behind the front desk in case she needed to intercept the call so they wouldn't lose a potential guest due to Michel's attitude. As she started to sort through the mail, Michel held the phone out in her direction.

"It's your mother," he told her before he placed the phone in her hand and announced that he was taking his break despite it being early in the morning.

Lorelai held the receiver up to her ear, "Hey Mom," she tucked the phone against her shoulder as she began to sort through the mail again. "What's going on?"

"Can't I just call to check in with my daughter?" came Emily's reply.

"Of course you can call Mom. I just thought you would be enjoying your trip with Dad and maybe you wouldn't have time to call."

"Your father and I are having a lovely time but I still have time to call and check in with my daughter," Emily replied. "Unless this isn't a good time. I can call back later."

Lorelai looked around the lobby of the Inn, a few guests were mingling and discussing their plans for the day. She had a few minutes to talk. "Now is a good time. I'm not too busy."

"Good." A pause came on the line. "How are you doing?"

"In general? Like how my business is doing or how my hair is behaving this morning?" Lorelai inquired. "Or is this your way of asking how things are with Luke?"

"You did always have the most unruly hair as a child and then as you got older, I'm pretty sure you didn't run a brush through it most of the time no matter how many times I told you to. Your hair looks pretty now, you seem to have control over it," Emily responded.

"Okay Mom, I know you didn't call to talk about my hair. I also know that you made a stop in Stars Hollow to talk with Luke before you and Dad jetted off to wherever you two are currently visiting."

"I'll admit that I did go by and talk with Luke," Emily said after a long pause. "You came to me and you were hurt because of problems between you and Luke. As your mother, I thought that I could try and talk some sense into the man. Someone needed to do it. I am not going to apologize for trying to help my daughter. You can be mad at me if you want but I was only trying to help."

"I'm not mad," Lorelai insisted. "Luke told me everything that you said. It seemed like a good talk the two of you had."

"He listened more than he talked."

"Well that's Luke for you."

Emily cleared her throat. "So how are you and Luke? Have you two had the chance to talk?"

"We talked," Lorelai answered simply.

"Are you going to make this difficult Lorelai?" Emily asked, the exasperation evident in her voice. "Is that all you're going to tell me?"

Lorelai blew out a breath. "Luke and I had a really good talk last night. We were able to work through things that have been bothering us recently. We're going to try and work on things together now. Luke and I are going to be okay." For her mother's benefit, she added, "I'm doing a lot better."

"Good, that's good Lorelai. I'm happy that you two are working things out and that you are doing better," Emily replied. "It seems that I should call my real-estate agent and tell her to hold onto that house for a little while longer."

"Mom," Lorelai sighed. "Luke and I haven't talked about the house. He knows about it but it is not my focus right now. Luke and I are working on our issues, that's more important right now. We're not planning on moving anytime soon."

"I can still see how long she can hold onto the house just in case you and Luke decide that you would like the house one day," Emily replied. "It is a lovely house."

"It is lovely," Lorelai agreed. She smiled at guests who now approached the front desk and gestured that she would only be a minute. "I need to get back to work now but I'll talk to you later."

Lorelai waited for her mother to say her parting words before she placed the receiver back down into the cradle and focused her attention on the newly arrived guests in front of her. She swiftly checked them into their room then directed someone to help them with their bags and take them to their room. Once they were gone, Lorelai decided that there was one more person that needed to hear the details of the talk between her and Luke. She picked up the phone and quickly dialed Rory's number.

* * *

 

Later that afternoon, Lorelai had to practically drag herself through the front door of her house. Her morning started off so well but she couldn't say that about the rest of her day. Not long after she celebrated the news that she and Luke made up with her daughter, a dull pain began to throb in her head. Aided by Michel's complaints of her not being there recently, the dull pain quickly escalated into a full-blown headache. After taking medicine to deal with the pain, she stayed in her office most of the day going over paperwork. When the pain in her head didn't subside very much and she felt cramps beginning, Lorelai decided to cut out a few hours early and head home for a nap.

Lorelai dropped her purse and keys down on the table in the entryway before she headed straight for the staircase and made her way upstairs. In her bedroom, she sat on the edge of the bed and slipped off her shoes before she laid back on the bed and curled up on her side. She knew that her headache combined with the cramps usually meant that her period was right around the corner.

She felt conflicted because she did want to have a baby with Luke but the timing just didn't seem right. She always thought that if she was to get pregnant again it would be something that she and Luke discussed and planned for, not something that happened because of a slip-up. She didn't want to explore that topic anymore, for now she just wanted to sleep.

Lorelai awoke two hours later to the sound of someone moving around downstairs. From the delicious smells that drifted upstairs and the sounds from downstairs, she knew that Luke had made his way home and was currently cooking them dinner. She stretched and rubbed the leftover slumber from her vision and crawled out of bed.

Lorelai slowly made her way downstairs. A trip to the bathroom after she woke up confirmed that her pregnancy scare was nothing more than that, just a scare. She knew that she shouldn't have freaked out so soon over the issue since it seemed to quickly resolve itself but at the moment freaking out only seemed right. She was glad that she voiced her concerns with Luke about the scare the night before but now she needed to tell him that her worrying and his worrying was over nothing really. She wasn't pregnant, it was all just a scare.

"Hey sleepyhead," Luke said when he noticed Lorelai leaning in the doorway to the kitchen. "I was just about to come get you up, dinner is almost ready."

Lorelai covered her mouth as she yawned. "It smells great babe."

"Are you okay?" Luke moved to stand in front of her. "Sookie called earlier to check in, she said you weren't feeling well when you left work."

"I'm okay," Lorelai answered. "I just had a headache and I couldn't really focus on paperwork anymore or deal with Michel so I decided to come home. With the headache and cramps, I thought a nap might help."

"Did it help? Do you need anything?" Luke asked. "I can go to Doose's to get you anything you need."

Lorelai shook her head, a slight smile on her face. "I'm okay. I took something when I woke up. I'm feeling a little better than when I left the Inn."

"That's good," Luke replied when Lorelai moved past him and made her way towards the refrigerator. He took the time to put the finishing touches on their dinner before he turned towards Lorelai, her words from just a few minutes ago running through his brain. "Did you say cramps?" he asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Um yeah," Lorelai said hesitantly when she turned her gaze to Luke. "Mother Nature intervened earlier which is why I'm not feeling that great."

It took Luke a moment but he finally connected the dots. "So you're not..."

Lorelai shook her head, "I'm not pregnant. It was just a little scare, I freaked out a little too soon."

Luke nodded his head, digesting the information he thought back to their conversation over this very topic from the night before. "Well that's good, right?"

"Yeah," Lorelai answered noncommittally.

Luke went about placing their dinner plates on the table while Lorelai did the same with their drinks before she took a seat. "I mean we both agreed last night that kids wouldn't be good right now. There's a lot more going on, we have things to work on, and a baby wouldn't be ideal."

"I know what we agreed on last night Luke, I was there. I was the one that did most of the talking on that subject," Lorelai replied. "But we don't have to worry about a baby right now, I'm not pregnant. We can just focus on us and April."

When he sat down at the table opposite of Lorelai, he took her hand in his. "Are you okay?"

"I told you before I'm okay," Lorelai answered. "I know we don't need a baby right now because there are other things to worry about and I always thought when I did get pregnant again it would be something we discussed and planned and we would be married. But even if I was freaked out by it, I still wanted a baby with you so I was a little disappointed when I found out that I wasn't pregnant."

"I understand." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We are going to get married and we will have kids together. I want you to spend time with April first because I want her to be at the wedding. Anna might not like that idea but I'm April's father and I say that she can be at our wedding."

Lorelai smiled, "I think that sounds like a fantastic idea." She pulled her hand back from Luke and began to eat her dinner. After a few bites of food, she looked up at Luke. "So this open communication and honesty thing, I think it's working for us."

"Me too," Luke agreed with a smile.

"Well you've heard a little about my day so how was your day?" Lorelai questioned. "How are the repairs on the diner coming along?"

As Luke rolled his eyes, tightened his grip on his fork, and blew out an angry huff of air, Lorelai bit her lip to keep from laughing as she prepared for yet another rant about the incompetent brother-in-law that just had to help with the repairs on the diner.


	9. Chapter 9

Lorelai wrapped her hands around her coffee cup, seeking the warmth that it provided in contrast to the chill of the early summer morning air. It was early enough in the morning that the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Normally at this time of day she would still be asleep and ready to kill someone if they dared to wake her up but not this morning. Not with what today was supposed to mean for her. One look at her date book last night put her in a funk that she knew would last well through all of today.

In her date book and on the calendar that hung on the fridge, which she was reminded of this morning when she opened it to get the cream out for her coffee, today's date was marked with several little hearts and her scribbling that read Mrs. Danes. It was June 3rd. Her supposed to be wedding date to Luke. She knew that they were back on a good path and were working on their problems but that didn't stop her from wanting to sulk over what could have been from today's date.

Today she could have donned her wedding dress and walked down the aisle with a bouquet of daisies in her hands towards Luke who would look very handsome in his tux. They could have pledged their love to another in front of their family and friends and sealed the deal with a ring and a kiss. They could have partied the night away in true Stars Hollow fashion before they set off to wherever they would have planned their honeymoon.

None of that would happen today though.

Lorelai was happy with Luke and how things between them happened over the past couple of weeks since their talk. The nights when Rory wasn't at home, they spent time talking about their relationship, some nights they argued but they always went to bed together. The nights when Rory was home they all spent the time together. On her breaks from the Inn, she sometimes stopped by the diner and watched Luke work on fixing the diner wall. Sometimes Luke stopped by the Inn and they had lunch together.

Despite how good things were going for her and Luke lately, she still just wanted to sulk today. Part of her wanting to sulk came from the knowledge that if she were to leave her house that everyone she ran into would give her poor, pitiful looks and she did not want to face that today.

Lorelai's head snapped up and towards the front door when she heard it open. A few seconds later, Rory walked out onto the porch clutching a cup of coffee in one hand and a blanket in the other. She smiled faintly at her mother before she sat down next to her on the porch swing.

"What are you doing up?" Lorelai asked as she helped Rory to spread the blanket over both of their legs.

"I could ask you the same question," Rory replied. "The sun is barely up. Even he knows it is too early to be awake."

Lorelai ran her finger along the rim of her coffee cup. "Couldn't sleep," she explained. "I was just thinking about today."

Rory nodded, she knew what her mother meant. "I understand. I know what today was supposed to be but you and Luke are doing great, you two are very happy."

"I know, I know," Lorelai acknowledged. "We worked on our problems, we are happy, we will get married one day, but I still have the right to sulk today. I don't want to face people today, I just want to sulk."

"Wallow," Rory corrected. "We're Gilmores, we wallow."

Lorelai laughed lightly, "That's right. I was wrong. I should wallow today."

"I can help," Rory offered. "I can brave the town and get all the necessary items for wallowing."

Lorelai wrapped her arm around Rory's shoulders and pulled her close. "That's alright. I don't have to drag you into my wallowing today."

"You're not, I offered."

"Maybe."

"What about Luke?"

Lorelai raised her eyebrow at her daughter's question, "What about Luke?"

"What is he doing today?" Rory asked. "I know the diner is almost finished so is he going to work on it today or stay home with you and your wallowing?"

"I didn't ask," Lorelai replied quietly, she looked down into her coffee cup. "I left him upstairs asleep. I know that he knew something was up last night because we were both just really quiet and didn't mention anything about today, we just left it unspoken."

"Oh."

Inside the house, Luke was just beginning to stir. He hadn't set his alarm since Kirk crashed a car through his diner because it made no sense to wake up that early to begin construction. Instead he relied on his internal alarm clock to wake him up, which always seemed to wake him up early still. He instinctively reached out for Lorelai only to come up empty. He opened his eyes to find that sheets on her side of the bed rumpled and no signs of the woman herself.

Luke wasn't a fool, he knew what today was. He told T.J. a few days ago that he could have the day off in anticipation of today. He and Lorelai had not talked about what today would mean or if anything would come of today but he knew Lorelai well enough that he knew there were one of two ways today could go. Scenario one: she could avoid the issue and throw herself into her work at the Inn, leaving early in the morning and not coming home until late. Scenario two: she could lock herself away in the house, avoiding any contact with anyone from Stars Hollow while she chose to wallow. With both scenarios, he knew that come tomorrow she would be fine and back to herself but today would be tricky.

Luke dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, rubbing away the sleep there before he pushed up from the mattress and rolled over and out of bed. He first checked the bathroom for Lorelai but it was dark and empty. He grabbed his t-shirt from the chair in the bedroom and slipped it over his head before he headed out of the room and towards the stairs.

"Lorelai?" Luke called out, loud enough for her to hear him but still quiet enough as not to disturb Rory who he was sure would still be asleep at this hour.

After scanning the living room for signs of Lorelai, he headed into the kitchen. The kitchen, like the bathroom and living room, was empty but the red light on the coffee pot told him that Lorelai was up and had at least made coffee. He peeked his head in Rory's open bedroom door but it too was empty, except for Paul Anka who was curled up on the bed asleep.

With a forceful sigh and slight fear that Lorelai may have taken off with Rory again on a little trip, Luke walked back into the living room where he drew back the curtain to see if Lorelai's jeep was still in her rightful parking spot in the yard. He not only saw Lorelai's jeep but also the woman herself curled up on the porch swing with her daughter next to her. He watched them for a few minutes with a smile on his face as they both talked animatedly.

Luke walked away from the window and towards the front door. He thought that maybe he should just let the mother and daughter have this time together but he also wanted Lorelai to know that he was going to stay with her today. When he pushed the door open and walked out onto the porch, two sets of blue eyes turned to look at him. Rory was the first one to say something.

"I think I'll go inside, let you two have some time alone." Rory pushed the blanket over her legs aside and stood up from the swing. She grabbed both hers and her mother's empty coffee cups from the porch rail.

"You don't have to go Rory," Lorelai called out. "You can stay."

"It's fine, you two should have some time alone." Rory started to move towards the front door. She covered her mouth as she began to yawn. "Plus I think that maybe I can catch a few more hours of sleep since someone woke me up this morning when she was trying to make coffee."

Lorelai laughed, she tried to keep quiet this morning but the less noise she tried to make, the more noise she actually made. "Sorry about that babe, we'll keep quiet out here. You go sleep."

"You'll have to fight Paul Anka for your bed," Luke informed Rory as she passed him. "He's asleep in there right now."

"Every time I leave my door open, he goes in there to sleep." Rory turned her attention to her mother, "I blame you. You let him sleep in my bed when I'm not here, don't you?"

Lorelai smiled sheepishly, "What can I say? He loves you sweets and he misses you when you're not here. Plus he's scared of the doggy bed that I bought him."

"Of course he is," Rory said with a heavy sigh. She covered her mouth as she started to yawn once again. "I'll deal with it, goodnight. Or good morning, either way I'm going back to bed," she said before she disappeared into the house.

Luke settled down on the porch swing next to Lorelai. She scooted closer to him and allowed her head to fall down onto his shoulder when he wrapped his arm around her. She nuzzled her head into the soft worn cotton of his olive green t-shirt when she felt him drop a kiss down on top of her head.

"When I woke up and you weren't in bed and when I searched the house but didn't see you, I thought that you and Rory might have left and went on another trip," Luke admitted, breaking the silent bubble that surrounded them.

Lorelai pressed her lips to his neck before she titled her head up to look at him, "Oh no. I just couldn't sleep. Next trip I take will definitely be with you by my side. Although a small trip today would have been a good idea so I wouldn't have to face the town. I couldn't take their pitying looks."

"We are getting married," Luke stated firmly. "Not today as you planned earlier and I know that's my fault but we will get married." He cradled her left hand in his, his thumb ran over her engagement ring. "I want to make you my wife."

Lorelai smiled, finding comfort, safety, and reassurance in his words. She knew that one day they would be married, there was no doubt about that. She didn't need that day to be today or even in the coming weeks, she just needed to know that they were both on the same page and that it would happen for them one day. At the moment, she didn't feel the need to rush. Marriage wasn't something to rush into.

"I know we are," Lorelai replied, her words coming out soft. "And the reason for the funk today isn't because I don't know that and because I'm not happy, because I am Luke. I am happy with you. It's just because I know what could have happened today and so does the whole town and I just know that they are going to feel bad for me, for us, and I don't want that. They mean well but I can't deal with them today. I had enough of their pitiful looks after Lane's wedding."

Lorelai screwed her eyes shut tight as the words slipped out. She didn't mean to bring up Lane's wedding. Even though they were doing the whole honesty thing, a part of her didn't want him to know what really happened. It was terribly embarrassing and she wished that it had never happened, a part of her didn't want to inflict that upon Luke. She knew it would hurt him.

The town seamlessly covered for her though since Luke still had no idea what really went on at the wedding. He was oblivious and she knew she would have to explain herself especially since they were back on their open and honest policy.

"You belting out 'Endless Love.' got pitiful looks? I know you're not a singer but you can't be that bad, no worse than Kirk," Luke replied, a teasing smile on his face. The smile dropped when he noticed the way that she was now looking at him. "Lorelai?"

"I didn't belt out 'Endless Love,'" Lorelai confessed. "The town just covered for me. They knew I made an ass of myself, so they covered for me so you wouldn't know what really happened."

"What really happened?"

Lorelai focused her gaze straight ahead, unwilling to look him in the eye. "I just felt like maybe it would have been easier if you were there but I know had to go with April. Rory was showing me pictures on her phone and I saw this picture of her with April so I knew that she met her. I hadn't even been introduced to her yet but there she was on my daughter's phone. She tried to explain to me that it was just a fluke that she met her though." She ran a hand across her face and through her hair, "And I don't know, it just all came crashing down on me. You weren't there, we postponed the wedding but had no other date set, I still had not been introduced to your daughter, you were distant, so I started to drink."

Lorelai took a deep breath, swiped at a few tears that escaped her eyes, and barreled on before Luke could speak.

"I was happy for Lane and Zach and all their newly wedded bliss but at the same time I was incredibly hurt because marriage seemed like this point that was just out of reach for me, it seemed impossible. After many tequila shots, I took the stage and gave a speech about how marriage is hard and that I couldn't manage it and that everyone didn't have to save the date for June 3rd because I was getting married on June 3rd or ever." Her voice cracked. "I was hurt and I just babbled like I always do."

Luke didn't know how to respond. He never doubted the story he heard from Miss Patty, the town's festivities always seemed to get wild for such a small town. The most shocking thing to him was that Mrs. Kim allowed Lane to have that kind of wedding reception. Though he supposed stranger things had happened in this town.

Lorelai blinked her eyes as a few more tears rolled down her face, her gaze still focused straight ahead and not on Luke. She wasn't sure what she expected his reaction to be but she wished that he would react in some way. His silence wasn't helping her in the slightest way.

She finally turned to face him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. The town already covered for me so I left it at that. I didn't want you to know."

"Why didn't you want me to know?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Because it was embarrassing Luke. I made an ass of myself in front of the whole town. I know I have done embarrassing things before but this was bigger and just different. I didn't want you to be hurt by it."

"Oh Lorelai," Luke sighed. He reached out and used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "I had no idea."

"Yeah well, the town was nice enough to cover up for my drunken speech. They can really come through for people."

"I didn't mean just about that, I mean it is included, but I never knew how much I hurt you. You told me when we talked about how much I hurt you and I know that I really screwed up, I just didn't know it was this bad. I know now but not at the time," Luke said. "I wish that I would have known sooner, that I could have noticed that you were hurting sooner because I hate that you felt like that or that you felt like you had to hide it from me."

"I know babe, we've talked about this many, many times. We can't change what happened, all we can do now is focus on us and getting better at our communication skills," Lorelai replied softly.

A war raged in her head on whether or not she should tell him about Christopher's presence at the wedding. After a silent debate with herself, she decided to tell him. She didn't want it to come up one day and have him think that she was trying to hide it from him.

"You should also know that Christopher was my date to the wedding but nothing happened, I swear Luke." Lorelai looked into his eyes trying to convey to him that she was telling the truth. "Nothing happened between us, he was just there because I needed to bring a man as my date to the wedding, nothing else."

Luke's jaw tensed as it always did at the mention of Christopher's name. "Why didn't you mention it sooner?"

"Honestly, I didn't even want to think about that night anymore. I just wanted to forget about that speech and when the town made up that story about me belting out 'Endless Love,' it did just seem like I could forget it," Lorelai replied. "I know that's not really an excuse but I wasn't really trying to hide it. Besides the speech, there is nothing to hide."

"You not telling me especially after all we've talked about these past couple of weeks, how much we've talked about these past couple of weeks does make it seem like you were hiding it from me," Luke pointed out. He kept his voice even making it hard for Lorelai to detect how he felt.

"I know that it seems like that especially now but I wasn't hiding it," Lorelai stressed. "Mrs. Kim just said that I needed a man to bring as a date to the wedding. I obviously couldn't bring you so I originally asked Michel but he dumped me for Celine Dion."

"So you called Christopher?"

"I didn't call him. Rory saw that I was upset that I wasn't going to be able to go to the wedding since Mrs. Kim made it very clear not to show up without a guy so she asked him to come. She was already talking to him so it just happened."

Luke shifted in his seat. "So he just dropped everything to come all the way here to be your date to a wedding at the last minute? How convenient."

Lorelai groaned. "It's not even like that Luke. I didn't even consider him until Rory mentioned the idea. I was desperate for a date and he happened to be free. He was my last resort. That's it. He was just a friend helping out a friend."

"Yeah, a friend," Luke scoffed.

"Okay, you don't like him. I get that, I understand that, but you do love me. And you loving me means that you trust me and that means you know that he wasn't invited because I wanted him here, I just had to have a date so I wouldn't be seen as a tramp or whatever," Lorelai replied. "Him being there just made me miss you and wish you were there because then we could have had fun together. Who knows, we could have belted out 'Endless Love' together and embarrassed ourselves."

"A tramp?" Luke inquired.

"Woman of a certain age, not married, dressed the way that I dress can cause people to think bad things like that I'm a tramp or possibly up for sale," Lorelai explained as she pointed to herself. "Kims' family rules."

"Up for sale?"

Lorelai shrugged it off. "I'm still thinking about the price." She softened her voice. "Please don't be mad about this. It doesn't matter. You didn't say anything about him being at dinner with my parents, these are just two times I've seen him recently both completely unexpected. I don't want to fight about this. It's unneccesary. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."

"I'm never going to be happy that he's in your life because of your history with him but we don't have to fight about this. I don't want to fight," Luke replied. "Anything else you didn't tell me about the wedding that I should know about?"

"I made an audition tape for 'America's Next Top Model'," Lorelai admitted. "It was all caught on camera."

Luke chuckled, "Well I'm definitely sorry that I missed that."

Lorelai leaned in close and pressed her lips softly against Luke's. "Maybe I'll give you a little preview later on."

"Looking forward to it."

She leaned back against him and let out a content sigh, happy that he didn't start a fight about Christopher being there and relieved that he now knew about the speech because it felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. The peaceful laziness of the summer morning served as a backdrop for the couple as they enjoyed the company of one another.

Lorelai tilted her head back to look at Luke. "When you are going to head to the diner?"

"Tomorrow," Luke answered. "If you're going to stay home today and hide away from the town then I'll stay with you."

"You don't have to do that, I'll be fine here with Rory. I know that you want to reopen as soon as possible and that you're almost finished so you can go do that today, you don't have to stay home with me," Lorelai replied.

"I know that I could go to the diner but I'm not going to," Luke said firmly. "Besides all that is left before I reopen is a few touch-ups with the paint and that will only take a couple hours at most."

"Painting?" Lorelai asked, an amused smirk crossed her face. "I happen to be excellent with a paint brush."

Luke shook his head. "No, I can do this myself. It's only a few touch-ups, nothing big. I'll do it tomorrow when I go back to the diner."

"Or you can do it today and re-open tomorrow to get that money rolling in again. I can be your beautiful helper who is a lot better company than T.J. any day and it would give me something to do today besides sit at home and watch movies," Lorelai replied, "Not that watching movies all day is ever a bad idea. Please?"

Lorelai grinned at him and he gave in. It was hard not to give into her. "Fine, you can help me paint today," he conceded. "Just remember the paint goes on the walls and not on people."

"I'll try to remember."

Luke stood up from the swing and pulled Lorelai up with him. "Come on, I'll make breakfast first."

"Chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Do we have chocolate chips?"

"We always have chocolate chips babe," Lorelai replied as they quietly entered the house in case Rory did fall back asleep. "They're like coffee, a staple in the household."

Luke nodded his head once. "Right, forgot that for a second. In that case, I'll make chocolate chip pancakes for you and Rory."

"Can't believe you forgot about the chocolate chips. How could you forget that?"

"Don't push it or there will be no chocolate chip pancakes."

"I'll be quiet now and just watch you cook," Lorelai said. She pretended to zip her lips for dramatic effect before seating herself at the kitchen table and watching Luke as he moved around the kitchen gathering ingredients for their breakfast.

* * *

Lorelai dropped her paint brush down into the tray and moved back away from the wall to admire her and Luke's handiwork. After breakfast and Lorelai taking her sweet time choosing the perfect painting outfit, they headed over to the diner to start their work. They managed to steer clear of any Stars Hollow residents who all meant well but would most likely cast pity glances their way over today's date, the very thing Lorelai wanted to avoid about today. Lorelai asked Rory if she would like to help but she left the couple to do the work themselves while she went to spend time with Lane.

"I think it looks pretty good," Lorelai commented. With her hands placed on her hips, she turned towards Luke who stood beside her. "Good as new."

"We did do a good job," Luke agreed.

"And now you're all ready to re-open tomorrow," Lorelai pointed out. "I can finally get you to make me breakfast again."

"What are you talking about? I make you breakfast most mornings. I made you and Rory breakfast this morning, chocolate chip pancakes as requested with a terrifying and unhealthy amount of whipped cream on top of them," Luke said.

"I mean diner breakfast, as in breakfast in the diner," Lorelai explained. "Having breakfast at the house can be great, especially if it's in bed, but in the diner you get the whole experience. I get all the latest gossip, you get to argue with me about cell-phone usage in the diner, I get to watch you be annoyed by Kirk and Taylor, it's like dinner theater but for breakfast."

"Breakfast theater then."

"Never a dull moment," Lorelai added. "At home all I have is Paul Anka freaking out when I drink my coffee. Not as interesting as the diner."

"Tomorrow you can have your breakfast theater back but for right now I have to clean this place up so I can open tomorrow," Luke replied.

"Need any help?" Lorelai asked.

She watched him begin to clean up their painting supplies all the while making her way over to the stools at the counter to sit down. Luke turned towards her and declined her offer of help when he sat that she was already seated. He quickly gathered the rest of the supplies before going behind the curtain and heading up the stairs to store their supplies in his apartment for the time being. As soon as he was gone, his cellphone that he placed on the counter-top began to ring.

Lorelai didn't give it a second thought as she picked up and answered the phone. "Luke's phone, this is his lovely fiancée Lorelai."

"Hey Lorelai," a voice on the other end of the line chirped.

It took Lorelai a moment to place the voice but when she did she froze. She and Luke had talked about her getting to know April and spending time with her but they had yet to make plans so she wasn't sure where a phone call with her future step-daughter would rank.

"Hello? Lorelai?" April's voice rang in her ear. "Are you there?"

"Oh yeah, I'm here," Lorelai answered quickly. "Sorry, just spaced out for a minute. Hey April, how are you?"

"I'm good. Since I got out of school I've been reading over the book that Luke got me for my birthday, it's really interesting," April replied. "I still haven't used my gift certificate yet, there's just so much cool stuff at the Discovery Store."

Lorelai looked towards the curtain to try and determine if Luke was coming back soon. "Well you know what always works wonders for me? Pro-con lists. It's how Rory and I make all of our big decisions."

"Pro-con lists, that's a good idea. I might have to try that."

"They always work for us." Lorelai paused for a minute waiting for Luke to show up. "Do you want to talk to Luke now? He's around here somewhere."

"I wanted to tell you that I had a really fun time at my birthday party/slumber party," April admitted causing a smile to appear on Lorelai's face. "My friend Marcia tried to throw a slumber party like that at the end of school but it wasn't as fun."

Lorelai let out a small laugh, "Well it takes years of slumber party experience to be able to throw them like I do." As Luke came back into the diner, she gestured for him to come over to her. "Okay April, I have to go but Luke's here now so I'll give the phone to him. Bye kid."

"April?" Luke mouthed as he took the phone from Lorelai. She nodded and gestured for him to answer the phone.

"Hey April," Luke said as he lifted the phone to his ear and sat down next to Lorelai.

She stayed quiet as Luke talked on the phone with April. Over the past couple of weeks, she watched him talk on the phone with her a couple of times. She found that she loved watching him talk with April. His face always lit up when he talked to her or about her, though she kept that to herself since Luke got awkward with compliments. She perked up when she heard talk of summer plans but since she was only listening to Luke's half of the conversation, she was a little confused as to what April's summer plans were. Before too long, Luke said goodbye to April and hung up the phone.

"Well I would ask how is April but I already kind of know since I answered your phone. I only answered because you weren't in here and I didn't even see who was calling before I answered it, not many people call you on your cell-phone though so I could have assumed it was April."

Luke held up his hand to stop her rambling. "It's fine that you answered it. I told you that I wanted you two to get to know one another."

"Yeah but we haven't really talked about in detail or when you would talk to Anna about this or anything like that," Lorelai replied. "So I wasn't sure about the phone call."

Luke hated the fact that she sounded insecure about answering the phone when it was April on the other end. He knew that his earlier actions made her feel that way though. It was something he was working on trying to fix and with the information that April gave him over the phone, he knew what his first action would be.

"I know we haven't but it's fine that you answered the phone Lorelai," Luke assured her. "She told me that she likes talking to you and that you suggested she make a pro-con list about what she should buy with half of her birthday present."

Lorelai smiled. "Well if I have the opportunity to pass on the brilliant idea that is a pro-con list, I'm going to take that opportunity."

"I still think they're a little stupid especially when it comes to major life decisions."

"They have always worked for Rory and me. Plus April likes science and pro-con lists are a scientific process so it's a great match."

"I don't know if they are that scientific," Luke doubted.

"Leave the rules of the pro-con lists to the pros, babe. So what else did you and April talk about? I heard talk summer plans. Is she going to spend some of that time in Stars Hollow?" Lorelai asked.

"Well she already has a lot of activities lined up for the summer like sleepovers at friends, taking a trip with her mom, and science camp, but she has a few days before all of that starts so she was wondering if she could come here," Luke informed her.

"You said yes of course," Lorelai replied.

Luke nodded. "I said yes. I have to talk to Anna about the details of when she'll come but while she's here I want you two to spend time together, all three of us to spend time together. Four if Rory will be here."

"Is that okay with Anna?" Lorelai asked.

"April is my daughter too, Anna is not the only one that can make decisions about who is in April's life and who's not. I'm her father I can make decisions like that and I want you to be in her life," Luke replied. "Anna will just have to understand that."

"But you're going to talk with Anna about this before April gets here, right?" Lorelai asked. "I'm just asking because I know how she feels as a single mom and it will be better if she knows this beforehand instead of finding out after. I don't want this to be like the incident after April's party."

"It won't be. I'll talk with Anna and let her know that I want you in April's life and that you're not going to disappear out of her life one day and neither am I." Luke replied.

"My offer still stands if you need help with talking to Anna."

"I think I should talk to her about this on my own. We're partners but I just think that talking with Anna should be something that I do on my own, about this anyways."

Lorelai nodded her head. "I understand, you're her parents." She reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "But I am here if you need anything, need me to step up and defend you to Anna about how you're always going to be in April's life and that you're already a great dad. I'm here for all of that."

"I know you are. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lorelai's eyes scanned around the diner. "We done here? Can we go home?"

"Let's go," Luke replied.

Luke went to go towards the back exit of the diner but Lorelai tugged on his hand and pulled him back to her. Her arms snaked around his neck and she pressed her lips to his softly. "Thank you for involving me."

"Of course, not going to make that mistake again," Luke said with a smile.

"You better not," Lorelai mock-warned him. "That was too rough to have to go through again."

"Yeah it was."

Lorelai took his hand in hers and began to pull him towards the back exit of the diner. "You know this could be our June 3rd thing. Instead of thinking about the plans that were set for today, we could just always paint something."

"What would we paint?"

"Oh like a room in the house, small touch-ups at the Inn, the diner again if it ever needs touch-ups...we'll find something," Lorelai replied. She sent a playful grin. "And then we can shower together to get all the paint off."

Luke glanced back towards the stairs that led to his apartment before he focused back on Lorelai. "Upstairs?"

Lorelai grinned in response.

"I like the way that you think," she said before she took off for the stairs calling for Luke to chase after her.


	10. Chapter 10

"What time is Anna dropping April off?" Lorelai asked casually. She flung her purse up onto her shoulder and accepted the to-go cup of coffee that Luke handed her.

"They should be here soon," Luke replied. He watched Lorelai nod her head in acknowledgment before she started to dig through her purse for the keys to her jeep. "You know you don't have to leave before they get here. I know I said I wanted to talk to Anna alone today but that doesn't mean you can't be here when she drops April off."

"I know honey," Lorelai said with a smile once she retrieved her keys from her purse. "But if I want to spend the afternoon with you and April, I need to get to the Inn this morning and go over some paperwork that really can't wait. I will try and get away from the Inn as soon as I can though. Plus this will give you a little time by yourself with April this morning."

"See you for lunch then?" Luke asked as he went ahead and leaned halfway across the counter just as Lorelai was doing on the other side of the counter.

Lorelai nodded her head, "I should be out of the Inn by then. If you want, you and April can come by and we can have lunch with me there."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Luke agreed with a nod of his head. "I'll see if April wants to do that."

"Let me know," Lorelai urged. She finally closed the small gap between them and pressed her lips softly against his. "Don't worry, I'm sure your talk with Anna will go fine," she said as she pulled back from him. She continued on when she noticed the skeptical look on his face. "At least, I hope it will. I'll send ya good vibes all the way from the Inn."

"I'll probably need them," Luke remarked when he remembered how his last conversation with Anna about Lorelai went. He picked up the small bag of muffins that Lorelai was about to forget and held it out in her direction. "I'll see you this afternoon," he said once she took the bag from him.

"See you then babe," Lorelai called over her shoulder before she exited the diner and headed to her jeep.

Luke waited and watched from behind the counter as his fiancee climbed into her jeep and then took off in the direction of the Inn. He watched the jeep drive down the road until it was out of his sight. Then he turned to the customers and tended to the ones that Lane had yet to get to. All the while he served customers, he kept one eye trained on the door just waiting for Anna to arrive with his daughter. He told Anna over the phone, while they were discussing when April would come to visit, that there was something he needed to talk to her about and would rather do it in person rather than over the phone. She agreed to talk whenever she dropped April off.

Truth be told he was slightly nervous about having this talk with Anna. Of course he knew that it was important for his relationship with both Lorelai and his daughter, the reason being he knew now how stupid it was to try and keep them apart when they were the two most important aspects in his life. He wanted for them to be a part of each others' life. But after how things quickly took an ugly turn the very first and at-the-time thought to be last time he involved Lorelai when it came to April, he knew that things could easily not go the way that he wanted them to today. He talked with Lorelai and she tried to help him rationalize that since Anna would know that April was around her this time unlike at the birthday party where she only found out after, that she might be more open to the idea. Although she had her doubts from her very own talk with Anna. Luke made it clear that he wouldn't back down when it came to their daughter being involved in his life with Lorelai.

Just a few minutes after Lorelai departed, the diner bells rang out again to announce the arrival of Anna and April. Luke dropped the rag that he used to wipe down the counter with down onto the counter-top out of the way of any customers before he walked over to greet the two. After basic greetings and a hug shared between father and daughter, Luke walked back towards the counter with Anna and April following behind him.

"Do you want anything?" Luke asked when April seated herself at the counter. He motioned to Anna that she could go ahead and head upstairs since he would be there in just a minute. "Pancakes, eggs, bacon, anything for breakfast?"

April shook her head, "I'm good. Mom and I had breakfast before we left."

Luke nodded his head back towards the curtain in the diner, "I'll just be upstairs talking with your mom for a few minutes but if you need anything, Lane can help you."

"I know Luke," April replied. "I'll be fine. I have my book," she indicated to the book she received as a birthday present from Luke.

Luke smiled at his daughter, "Good. I'll be right back." He waved his hand in Lane's general direction to get her attention. "I'm headed upstairs for a minute. You okay down here?"

Lane nodded, "I got it boss. I can handle it."

Luke slipped behind the curtain and headed upstairs to his apartment. Anna was waiting for him and didn't waste even one second as soon as Luke walked through the door to find out what was so important that they couldn't talk about it over the phone but had to talk about it face-to-face.

"What did you need to talk about Luke?" Anna asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't have a lot of time to talk right now."

"This shouldn't take long," Luke replied. "I want to talk about April."

Anna arched an eyebrow, a mixture of skeptical and confused as to where he was going with this. "What about April?"

"I know that you weren't comfortable with Lorelai spending the night with April and her friends at her party but Lorelai really helped to save the party. April wasn't having fun before Lorelai showed up. I needed help. April seemed to really like Lorelai and they were getting along. I know what you told Lorelai when she came to talk to you, that you think it would be better to wait until after the wedding, but I don't agree. I want April and Lorelai to spend time together and get to know each other before the wedding." Luke took a deep breath and waited for Anna's response even though he was sure he knew what it was going to be.

"I still stand by my stance that it would be better to wait until after the wedding to talk about this," Anna replied sharply. "I don't want to involve people in her life that might not be there for the long haul. I have to protect her from people just coming and going in and out of her life. I don't want her to get hurt. You just came into her life and she's still getting to know you. I'm still learning to trust you around her."

"I just came into her life because of the choice that you made, not me," Luke replied slightly raising his voice. He paused a moment to try and have this talk in a cool and calm manner per Lorelai's suggestion. "And, frankly it was a damn lousy choice. But I'm not going anywhere now. I'm going to be there for my daughter, I would have been there from the beginning if given the chance. I know I wasn't really a kid guy then but I am now. I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt April. Letting April get to know Lorelai isn't going to hurt her."

"How can you be so sure of that? Huh?" Anna asked. "You could let Lorelai into April's life and April could really start to like her. They could even become friends. Then you and Lorelai could break-up and April would be let down that somebody that was in her life isn't in her life anymore. I want her to have stability."

"I want her to have stability too," Luke agreed. "And I would understand your concerns if Lorelai and I were only dating but we're not, we're stable, we're engaged and we are getting married. Lorelai and I have known each other a long time and we're definitely not rushing into this. She is not going to just disappear out of my life or April's life."

"Lorelai said the same thing when she came to see me," Anna replied pointedly. "And I'll tell her what I told you, people get engaged all the time. It is not the same thing as married. Engagements can break up at anytime. We can talk about this when you two are married."

"I don't want to talk about it then, I want to talk about it now," Luke argued. "Lorelai and I are getting married, no doubts about that. We're not going to break up," he said confidently. "I want April to be at the wedding and before that I want her to get to know Lorelai and I want Lorelai to get to know April. I don't want to wait until after we are married."

"Look, I'm happy for you Luke. I am but," Anna let out a sigh. "You just came into April's life, you two are just getting to know each other. I'm still nervous about that."

"It's not my fault I just came into her life," Luke interrupted. "I would have been there from the beginning if I would have known about her."

Anna glared at Luke then continued on with what she was going to say earlier. "I'm just worried about her. She's my whole world. First I need to know that you're sticking around before I involve anyone else in her life."

"I am sticking around!" Luke thundered. He was over trying to be calm and collected. "I've seen firsthand how it affects someone when a father is in and out of their life. I'm never going to be that guy. Hell, I've been there for Lorelai's kid more than her own damn father has. I would never leave April. I'm not that guy!"

"She's my kid and this is how I want to do this Luke," Anna explained. "April is my whole world and I feel like this is the right thing to do. This is how I want this. This is how we're doing this."

"The thing is Anna is that she's just not your kid. She's our kid, I'm her father. I shouldn't even have to say that to you." Luke scoffed. He pointed his finger in Anna's direction. "And I am not going to let you treat me this way any longer. You took away my opportunity to be there for her as she grew up. But you're not going to take away my opportunity to get to know her now."

Anna crossed her arms again and fixed her stare. "What are you trying to say Luke?"

"I have rights as her father and that means that I can make decisions in her life. April and I have this relationship now and that means whoever is in my life is in her life. I'm not going keep her separate from the life that I have here in Stars Hollow," Luke avowed, he crossed his arms as if that would help make his point. "That means she will get to know Lorelai. They will spend time together whenever April is with me. I will fight you on this Anna, if it comes to that. I have rights as her father and I'm declaring those rights."

Luke waited with bated breath for Anna to say something. He expected her to blow up, to yell at him like he did after April's birthday party. He expected her to get mad and threaten to not let April spend the day with him if Lorelai was going to be there. He expected something more than silence from her.

Silence was all that came from Anna though. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she glared at him, her eyes stared daggers straight through him. Luke didn't back down or let up, he just stood in front of her and waited for whatever was about to be thrown his way. After several minutes Anna tore her gaze away from Luke and headed straight out the apartment door, making sure to slam the door behind her.

It took Luke a few seconds but he followed behind Anna, almost expecting Anna to demand April to go home with her instead of hanging out in Stars Hollow for the day. However when he got downstairs, April was still seated at the counter while there was no sign of Anna. Lane looked at him concerned and he was sure she heard some of what went on upstairs but he waved her off and walked over to where April sat.

"What did you and Mom talk about?" April asked when she noticed Luke in front of her. "She seemed really mad when she came downstairs."

"Nothing you need to worry about right now, just something between your mom and me. We'll figure it out," Luke dismissed her. He wasn't sure if he should get into this with his daughter. "You remember Lorelai?"

"Of course I remember Lorelai," April replied as she looked up at Luke. "I talked to her the other day when I called you and I had fun at the party. She seems cool. Why?"

"Well I know that you two haven't spent time together before but Lorelai really wants to get to know you since she and I are engaged. I want you two to get to know each other too," Luke replied. "So I figured today that we could spend time with her. She's at the Inn now but we could go over there for lunch and then spend the rest of the day together."

April nodded, "That sounds good. I like Lorelai."

Luke smiled at his daughter, "That's good. I'm glad. We'll go over there later."

* * *

 Meanwhile at the Inn, Lorelai couldn't concentrate on the work that she needed to do because she was too focused on the many outcomes of how Luke's talk with Anna could turn out. She kept checking her cell-phone to see if Luke had called her about whether or not he and April would be at the Inn for lunch. Yet, she had no calls. She glanced at the clock and saw it was closing in on lunch-time. She let out a loud huff of air before she pushed away from her desk and exited her office.

"Coffee Sookie," Lorelai called as she entered the kitchen.

"Just put on a fresh pot," Sookie called back. She stopped, turned around, and almost maimed her kitchen help with a knife when she noticed Lorelai back in the kitchen. "Lorelai, what are you doing in here? You have been in and out of this kitchen all morning."

"I just..." Lorelai drummed her fingers against the coffee cup in her hand. "You know how I told you that Luke was going to talk with Anna and how he and April were supposed to come by for lunch?"

Sookie nodded, "Of course which is why I'm whipping up a special lunch menu just for the occasion. It has..."

Lorelai held her hand up to prevent her friend from rambling on about food, "I appreciate whatever you're making today Sookie but can you listen right now?" she asked. Sookie nodded eagerly. "I'm just worried about how his talk with Anna went. I told him to let me know if he and April were coming to lunch but he hasn't called. That makes me think that maybe Anna didn't like what Luke had to say about April spending time with him and me today and he's just waiting to tell me later. So maybe she won't even let April spend time with Luke or maybe Luke didn't talk to her or maybe I won't be able to spend time with April and all the talking Luke and I have done about that meant nothing."

"Or maybe he just didn't call because he's busy or he forgot," Sookie replied.

"Yeah, maybe," Lorelai sighed. "I'm being a little crazy aren't I?"

"Yeah," Sookie agreed. "But you're always a little crazy."

Lorelai laughed, "You got me there."

"Lorelai," Michel called as he entered the kitchen. He spotted her standing near the coffee pot. "There you are, I have looked everywhere for you."

"Everywhere where Michel?" Lorelai asked.

"The front desk, your office," Michel listed off. "Anyways, the flannel man and a young child are looking for you."

"Luke and April?" Lorelai clarified.

"I guess," Michel replied with a heavy sigh. "I still don't understand what you see in that man, he has no fashion sense."

"Well not everyone can dress as suave as you Michel," Lorelai teased. "I'll be right there."

"Hurry up," Michel urged her. "There's only so much awkward silence I can take."

Sookie squealed for Lorelai as Michel exited the kitchen. "I'll get lunch ready for you three! You go get to know your future step-daughter."

"Don't go overboard for lunch," Lorelai ordered Sookie in a playful tone because she knew that Sookie had a tendency to go all out for occasions that she deemed as special.

By the time Lorelai exited the kitchen, she was held back for a few minutes while Sookie ran through the menu with her to make sure that Luke and April would like it even though she had no idea about April's food preferences, she found Luke and April already seated in the dining room. She smiled when Luke looked up at her and waved her over.

Lorelai joined them at the table just seconds after Luke waved her over, choosing to sit across the table from Luke and next to April. "Hey April," she greeted the young girl. "Very nice to see you again."

"Hi Lorelai," April replied. "You don't have the neon green highlights in your hair like the last time I saw you."

"Well I loved them and tried to keep them but I have to be professional for work," Lorelai said as she messed with a strand of her hair and slightly pouted. "So no cool highlights."

April nodded her head, "Yeah, Mom made me get rid of mine for school even though we only had a little while left," she replied. "They were cool though."

Lorelai smiled again at April before she looked over Luke's way, "You're being awfully quiet over there," she observed. "Nothing to add in?"

Luke gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, "I'm happy just watching the two of you talk."

"And I'm sure that we can find plenty to talk about," Lorelai replied before she turned her attention back to April. "Now I'm not sure what you do eat and don't eat but Sookie, my friend, chef and business partner for the Inn, has prepared several different things for lunch so I'm sure there will be something that you like. If not, I'm sure Sookie will be happy to make you something you do like."

"I'm not a picky eater, I eat most anything," April mentioned.

"Good, glad to hear it." Lorelai looked over her shoulder and waved one of the servers over. Once they gave their drink order, Lorelai continued to talk. "Rory would have joined us today but she's too busy with her own plans to hang out with her mom everyday. Although I do like having this time with you by myself. I think it's long overdue."

"I was wondering if I was ever going to spend time with you," April admitted. "I mean you are Luke's fiancee."

Lorelai looked over at Luke and mouthed an 'I'm sorry," when she noticed the look that crossed his face. She knew that he regretted his decision to keep April from her all this time and she didn't mean for her comment to sound the way that it did.

"That's my fault," Luke chimed in at that moment. "I should have introduced the two of you sooner but I didn't. I wasn't thinking clearly but this is why we're here today, I want you two to spend some time together."

Lorelai reached across the table and squeezed Luke's hand, "And I'm sure that we'll have fun today."

Soon Sookie came out with a few of her helpers in the kitchen to serve the various dishes that she prepared for their lunch. After the food was decided upon according to what everyone wanted and after the food was served, Lorelai encouraged Sookie gently to go back into the kitchen while they enjoyed the lunch she took her precious time to prepare.

While they enjoyed their lunch, Lorelai took the reigns of the conversation as only she could and tried to learn more about the girl that would one day be her step-daughter. At first Lorelai dominated the conversations with questions for April concerning a few things that she didn't learn about April through Luke recently but control of the conversation soon fell to April. Lorelai was happy to let April do most of the talking at this point since she could just listen and take note of April's interests and disinterests for future reference.

Luke sat back and remained quiet for most of the meal while he watched two of the people who meant the most to him in the world as they started to bond. He threw in a comment every now and then, more when he was directly spoken to, but he was more than content just to sit back quietly and let Lorelai have this little time with April. As he watched the two interact and already get along really well, he cursed himself for thinking that he had to figure things out with April first before involving Lorelai. He already knew that was a misguided decision but seeing April and Lorelai together just served to further cement how misguided his earlier decision turned out to be.

Lorelai's voice broke through his thoughts. "Luke, are you coming with us?"

"What?" Luke asked looking up at Lorelai and April who were no longer seated at the table but standing beside the table. "Where are you going?"

Lorelai giggled and shook her head, "Men never listen." She placed her hand on April's shoulder, "Well I was telling April about Desdemona and Cletus so we're going to head out to the stables and see them. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah," Luke said as he got up from the table to join Lorelai and April. "Of course I'm coming."

April looked up at her father when they started to make their way out of the Inn and towards the stables. "Lorelai said that I could go for a ride on one of the horses if I wanted to one day."

"Is that something you want to do?" Luke asked. "Do you like horses?"

"I find them interesting," April replied. "But I've never ridden a horse before so I might have to read up on them before I actually ride one."

"I'm sure that Lorelai would be happy to help you out with that," Luke said as he looked over at Lorelai and she nodded in agreement, "We'll come out to the Inn again and ride horses."

"You'll ride a horse?" Lorelai asked amused at the thought. "Now that I want to see."

"I won't ride a horse," Luke clarified, "I'll just watch."

Lorelai shook her head, "What a shame."

She opened up the stable doors and swiftly introduced April to Cletus and Desdemona, pointing out that if she were to go for a ride, one of the horses she would go with Cletus since he was better for beginners although he was also a bit of a troublemaker with his sneaking into the Inn and all. While April stepped forward to pet the horses, once Lorelai assured her they were both gentle creatures and fairly receptive to people, Lorelai hung back to chat with Luke.

"No shirtless horseback rides for you?" Lorelai teased, making sure to keep her voice quiet so April didn't overhear. "Or at the very least wearing a white button-up shirt with most of the buttons undone while we both ride off into the sunset preferably on a beach?"

"So you can recreate one of the scenes in those cheesy romance novels that you read and then try to hide?" Luke asked, an equally teasing smirk crossed his face.

"Hey, I got that from Sookie," Lorelai tried to defend herself, "It was only one novel. And there are not always that bad or trashy as some people like to think," she added more into her defense. She continued on when she noticed the look on Luke's face, "Okay, more than one but I couldn't help it!" She pointed in his finger in his direction, "But you are not to tell Rory, this would provide her with mocking material for years!"

Luke chuckled, making sure to keep an eye on April as she interacted with the horses while he talked with Lorelai. "That can be our secret."

"Good."

"For now at least."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him, "Evil man." A coy smile crossed her face as she leaned in close to whisper into his ear, "Besides some of those scenes wouldn't be so bad to recreate in our own way. In fact I believe there was one between a fair maiden and her stable boy."

"Lorelai," Luke hissed. "Don't talk like that right now, April might hear you."

"Fine," Lorelai giggled. "I'll save that for later. You didn't call after your talk with Anna," she pointed out. "But you're here and you brought April so I'm assuming things went okay?"

"It slipped my mind to call," Luke explained. "Things with Anna went just as about as well as I expected them to go but she did let April stay and didn't object the last time I said that April would spend time with you. She was really mad when she left though."

"So what happens now?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged his shoulders, "With Anna? I don't know. Like I said, she was mad when she left. I'm not sure what, if anything, will happen now. Right now, I just want to spend the day with you and April."

"I love the sound of that," Lorelai said happily as she and Luke finally went to join April near the horses.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

"Yeah, alright Mom, I'll see you then," Lorelai said into the receiver before she told her mother goodbye and hung up the phone.

Rory waited for her mother's usual spiel that she usually went on after hanging up the phone with her mother. She expected her to complain about the lunch that she just planned with her mother and to come up with some elaborate excuse as to why they couldn't actually have lunch when the day came. None of that happened though. Instead her mother just placed the phone down on the coffee table and started flipping through the channels once again.

"Huh," Rory mused after several minutes without her mother making any comments, good or bad, about her just ended phone call with her mother.

"What was that huh for?" Lorelai asked, her attention still focused on the TV as she tried to find something to watch.

"Nothing," Rory said with a shake of her head.

Lorelai turned to face her daughter, "That wasn't a nothing huh. That was a loaded huh, like you have something on your mind but you didn't come right out and say it. So, once again, what was that huh for?"

"That huh was for that conversation that you just had with grandma," Rory replied. "You just agreed to have lunch with her with no arguments. You also haven't complained about the lunch with grandma since you hung up the phone. I'm not sure if that has ever happened before."

"Correction, I agreed for both of us to have lunch with her," Lorelai corrected. "That way I'm not going alone. I'll have you there to distract your grandmother in case she decides to dredge up the ways I have disappointed her over the years."

"Still you have a conversation with grandma without making any sarcastic comments and..."

"Hello? Do you even know me?" Lorelai interrupted. "There were definitely sarcastic comments."

"Okay, fine," Rory conceded. "There were sarcastic comments but they weren't biting comments and you didn't even roll your eyes once when you talked to her. It's just..." she faltered, "strange."

"Nothing about my relationship with my mother has ever been normal," Lorelai pointed out.

"I think you might have even laughed on the phone," Rory added in. "And it didn't sound like it was at grandma's expense."

"What's with the third degree? Did you listen to every word I said so you can grill me about my conversation with my mother?" Lorelai inquired, a curious look on her face. "I had a decent conversation with her. I don't see the big deal."

"Sorry," Rory apologized. "But you do have to admit that you actually having a conversation with grandma that doesn't end up with one of you angry over something the other one said is a little weird. You two seem to be getting along."

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "So maybe we are."

"Then I wasn't aware that we have stepped into The Twilight Zone," Rory quipped.

"Fine," Lorelai sighed. "As weird as it is to admit and as much as I hate to admit it because it goes against everything I have ever known, your grandmother and I are getting along at the moment. Certain events recently may have actually allowed us to bond and she may have actually listened to me without being judgmental. Well maybe a little judgmental."

"Really?" Rory questioned, a skeptical look etched on her face. "How and when did that happen?"

Lorelai took a deep breath before she launched into an explanation of just how her relationship with her mother had grown to this point over the past couple of months. How she broke down at the realtor's office when she realized the lengths her mother went through to find a perfect house for her and Luke to begin their life together in. How her mother was the one that she went to after her attempt to talk with Luke crashed and burned. How her mother actually tried to help her with her relationship instead of finding a way to destroy the relationship. How she saw a different side of her mother, one different from the Emily that she knew growing up; an Emily that seemed more motherly and nurturing.

"You should have seen her Rory," Lorelai said as she rounded out her story about her mother, "Standing in the kitchen in her pajamas and bathrobe actually making hot chocolate, not ordering someone to make it for her. It was very domestic."

Rory laughed, "You're acting like you saw Bigfoot or something and not just grandma making hot chocolate."

"It was a very rare sighting," Lorelai added. "Man, I wish I would have taken a picture of that, it could have been our Christmas card."

"Mom you hardly ever send out Christmas cards," Rory reminded her mother. "You usually forget about them."

"Well if I had that picture then I would have definitely sent them out to everyone that I have ever met."

"That would have definitely helped your relationship with grandma." She smiled, "But I do think it's nice that you and her are getting along."

Lorelai turned her attention away from her daughter, "Don't worry, things will all be back to normal soon," she said distractedly. "I'll do something that she disapproves of and she'll let me know, we'll fight and I'll not talk to her for a while, and things will be back to normal in Gilmore Land. It's only a matter of time."

"Mom," Rory said with a sigh, "I'm sure that won't happen."

"Sweetie it's great that you think like that but your grandma and I aren't programmed to get along for a long time," Lorelai replied. "I like that at the moment she's more understanding than normal and that we've had conversations without fighting but it won't last for that long. We'll backtrack soon." She smiled hopelessly, "It's the way the world works."

Lorelai knew that this more understanding and non-fighting relationship with her mother would be short-lived. She never expected the bonding moments with her mother to blossom into a relationship that resembled one similar to her and Rory's but she could say, mainly to herself, that it was nice that she was to not dread any moment that she talked to her mother recently. Of course she already faced the acknowledgment that soon she would say or do something that her mother disagreed with, because that was most of her life, and they would be back to the way they were before. It happened before. It was inevitable.

"Isn't April supposed to come over today?" Rory asked, her attempt to change the subject since her mother had fallen strangely quiet over the past few minutes.

Lorelai nodded her head, "Yeah. In fact Luke should be back with her in a few minutes. He's supposed to go and pick her up so we can all go to the festival tonight."

"Don't understand why the festival is happening tonight," Rory replied.

"Oh not you too," Lorelai said, disbelieving that her daughter wasn't excited about a town festival as they usually both were. "Luke already went on a rant yesterday about Taylor organizing the 4th of July Festival for today."

"But it's not even the Fourth of July, that was almost two weeks ago."

"And it rained on that day and then for a few days afterward, and you know Taylor, he cannot skip a festival for any reason. I, for one, am looking forward to the festival because it will be you, me, Luke, and April all there together," Lorelai said fondly. "We could all gang up on Luke."

Rory laughed, "Why would we do that?"

"I don't know," Lorelai said with a shrug of her shoulders, "We could force feed him cotton candy. Mr. Healthy eating just pure sugar."

"Oh sounds like Mr. Healthy is home," Rory said when she heard the front door open and shut. "You can bring that idea up to him now."

Just a few seconds later, Luke walked into the living room and Lorelai couldn't help but notice that April wasn't with him but in his hand was a manila envelope. He was quiet and stood with his hand on his hips for a few minutes and before Lorelai had a chance to ask him what was going on, he told her that he needed to speak to her alone. Rory excused herself, saying that she was going to swing by the bookstore to see if Andrew had any new deliveries so the adults could have a little alone time.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen, which Luke disappeared into after saying he needed to speak with her, to find him standing by the table staring at the manila envelope that lay on the table.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked, "Where's April?"

Luke blew out a huff of air, "She's not coming today."

"What? Why not? She was supposed to come visit today," Lorelai said. "This is the second time this is happened. She was supposed to come and visit a couple of weeks ago and then didn't."

"I already know that Lorelai," Luke snapped.

"Okay, I don't know why you're yelling at me," Lorelai frowned at his tone. "I had nothing to do with this."

Luke sighed, his hand ran over his face, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's fine," Lorelai quickly dismissed the yelling since it seemed like Luke had something else on his mind. "I don't understand. We had a good time the last time she was here and she always likes to visit you. Why isn't she coming again today?"

"Anna called earlier and said that the plans changed so April wouldn't be coming to Stars Hollow today," Luke replied. "She had plans with her friends or something like that."

"Well maybe she did Luke," Lorelai said, she tried her best to be reassuring. "It's the summer, you said earlier that she already had a lot of plans. Maybe she just forgot about the plans. You know that she really would like to visit with you."

"That's what I thought at first. I was looking forward to her visiting but if she had other things to do I could see that, we could make plans for another day," Luke replied as he started to pace around the kitchen. "I tried to be rational but then Kirk shows up at the diner and gives me this. He got another job serving papers apparently." He made his point when he jabbed his finger onto the envelope that lay on the table.

"What is that?" Lorelai asked.

Luke exhaled, a defeated looked on his face, "Custody papers."

"Custody papers?" Lorelai echoed and Luke nodded in response. She moved to sit down at the table and open up the envelope. "Anna wants sole custody," she noted, her eyes scanned quickly over the pages in her hands.

"That's what I understood from the papers," Luke replied.

"This is insane," Lorelai said with a shake of her head while she continued to read over the papers. "She really wants sole custody. I know she just wants what is best for April but this, trying to get sole custody, is not it. This makes no sense."

"That's what I thought," Luke huffed. "I also thought it was insane that she kept the fact that I had a daughter from me for twelve years. I don't get it."

"I don't either babe," Lorelai said softly.

"Anna said that she wanted to make sure that I was sticking around before other people got involved in her life and then she goes and does something like this. I don't get it," Luke reiterated.

"I know," Lorelai replied at a loss for words.

"This," Luke gestured with his hands to the papers still in Lorelai's hands. "This sole custody thing is crazy. I'm April's parent too, I want to make decisions in her life. I want her to stay with me from time-to-time and Anna is trying take that away from me. April just came into my life and I want to be there for her."

Luke slumped down in a chair next to Lorelai at the table. He sighed in despair as he placed his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."

Lorelai hated seeing him like this and was starting to despise Anna for making him feel this way. "Luke," she called softly. She reached out for his hand and squeezed it gently which caused him to look up at her. "I can only think of one thing to do at this point."

"What?" Luke asked.

"You have to fight this, fight Anna," Lorelai explained simply. "You want to be there for April, well then you're going to have to fight. You said that you would fight Anna over your rights if you needed to do so and that's what you need to do now."

"What if try to fight Anna and she wins?" Luke questioned. "She is April's mother, she has taken care of her all her life."

"She's not going to win Luke," Lorelai said matter-of-factly as she got out of her chair and moved to stand in front of Luke. "Yeah, she's the only parent that has taken care of April her whole life but no one can blame you for that. For twelve years you never even knew you had a daughter. Since you have known, you have tried to be there for her. You wanted to be there for her."

Luke looked up at Lorelai, "What if they look into my past and find something that deems me unfit to be a parent?" he asked.

Lorelai raised her eyebrow, "What exactly is in your past?"

"Well I don't know," Luke said exasperated, he threw his hands up in the air. "But it could be anything, like the time you had to bail me out of jail after that thing with Nicole and that guy. That could be used against me. Or that marriage in general, it only lasted a few months."

"Okay, one bad example," Lorelai said.

"I'm a hermit," Luke pointed out, "Some people say that. They could find a way to use that against me."

Lorelai laughed lightly, she bent over slightly so she was face-to-face with Luke, "Some could argue that you were a hermit before but you're not so much of a hermit anymore because you have me."

A small smile crossed his face, he wound his arm around her waist as he pulled her down onto his lap, "Well that is true."

Lorelai hooked her arm around his shoulders, "You may have only been married to Nicole for a few months and maybe a few other not completely stellar things in your past but none of that should deem you unfit as a parent. We're talking about April here. You've been a good dad to her." She paused then went on to correct herself, "A great dad to her. You deserve to be in her life, any judge could see that."

"You think I'm a great dad?"

"I know you are a great dad," Lorelai replied confidently. "Since Rory and I met you, you have always been there for her, no matter what was going on between us. You helped take care of her, you were a father figure in her life. You even attended a caterpillar's funeral for her."

"Well she had the Rory face, you know the Rory face," Luke said to which Lorelai nodded. "I almost tried to say no but she pouted and looked like she was about to cry. I couldn't say no to her then. I had to attend."

"See? She already had you wrapped around her precocious eleven-year old finger and you had only known us for a few months then," Lorelai pointed out. "Doing something like attending a funeral for a caterpillar seems like a fatherly quality to me."

"I don't know," Luke said with a shake of his head.

"I'm serious Luke, you were...well you still are a father figure in Rory's life," Lorelai reiterated. "You were there for her when she graduated high school, for her birthdays, you even gave her your mother's pearls Luke. Not just anyone would do that for another person's kid."

"She told you about the necklace?" Luke asked.

"Well of course she did, she tells me everything. It was a very sweet gesture," Lorelai answered. "See doing things like that, being there for someone in that way proves that you are a great dad. You deserve to have that chance with April. Any judge will be able to see that. Anna won't get sole custody, that's crazy. You're a great person babe."

"Yeah?"

"One of the best," Lorelai smiled. "I mean you have your moments where we fight and I want to call you several unpleasant names but I still love you."

"I love you too."

"I don't know why Anna is going through with this since she wants what is best for April and this is the exact opposite of what is best for April but this is happening," Lorelai said. "We may not understand it but we have to deal with this. You don't deserve to be treated like this."

Luke nodded his head, "I guess you're right."

"Well you may just guess but I know that I am right."

"Fine, I know you're right," Luke admitted.

Lorelai grinned, "Oh I love when you say that to me. It sounds so good coming out of your mouth." She hugged herself to him. "We'll handle this together. I can help you find a lawyer so you can contest this custody thing and earn your rights as April's father."

When she pulled away from him slightly, Luke cupped the side of her face and brought her face down to kiss. His lips slid over hers briefly. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Of course," Lorelai smiled. She leaned more into his touch, "Always happy to help you in any way that I can babe. You already know that I'll be right by your side for anything else you may need."

* * *

"I can't believe Anna is doing this to Luke," Rory commented as she and her mother walked through the town square later that night, the festival carried on around them. Each had a stick of cotton candy in their hand, occasionally snacking on the sweet treat as Lorelai filled Rory in on her conversation with Luke earlier.

Lorelai nodded her head in agreement with Rory, "I'm right there with you. I don't know how she thinks this would be better for April then the arrangement they had before."

"I wonder if April knows what's going on," Rory pondered.

"I'm not sure. Anna doesn't seem like the type that would tell her daughter something like that," Lorelai replied. "Although April is smart, she might figure out on her own that something is going on."

"This isn't fair to Luke," Rory complained. She took a seat on a bench that sat straight across from the diner where she could see Luke working despite the fact that there were no customers at the time. "He was just getting to know April and then Anna hits him with this, they should at least share custody or something."

"I know sweets," Lorelai agreed as she sat down next to her daughter. "But like I told Luke, the judge will be able to see that Luke deserves to be able to make decisions in his daughter's life since he wasn't afforded that for the first twelve years of her life. Anna won't win this. He's already a great dad to her, he tries so hard."

"He was always there for me," Rory said. "In a way, he's always been a great dad to me. And he makes a great soon-to-be step-dad."

"I'm right there with you again," Lorelai replied. "I feel like she just did this out of spite. She told Luke and me that she didn't want me involved this soon, even though it's not soon at all. Then almost immediately after Luke told her that I would be involved, she gets mad and then sends him these papers."

"This isn't your fault Mom."

"I wasn't trying to say that it was," Lorelai explained. "I was just saying that all of this happened after the first time I actually spent time with April. Luke was completely fine with it, he argued with Anna over it. I expected her to be mad but I didn't really expect this."

"Seems a little extreme."

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "Hmm maybe. Luke's already on it though, he spent most of the day on the phone trying to find a lawyer. He quit for the day though and headed back to the diner, he claimed that most of the lawyers seemed incompetent."

"Really?" Rory asked.

Lorelai nodded her head, "He even said that one of the lawyers was just Kirk in lawyer form."

Rory laughed, "Oh that poor lawyer. Poor Kirk."

"Kirk has Lulu, he'll be fine. I'm glad they found one another," Lorelai commented.

"They are good together."

Lorelai stood up from the bench and gave a nod of her head in the direction of the diner, "I'm going to see if Mr. Monosyllabic Man wants to join us. I know he said no earlier because he didn't feel like being around people today but the fireworks will start soon so maybe I can change his mind."

"Maybe," Rory agreed. "I'm going to see if I can find Lane."

Lorelai and Rory went their separate ways, with Rory exploring the festival for her best friend while Lorelai headed towards the darkened diner. On the way she finished off her cotton candy and threw the stick away. She pushed open the diner door and the bells above jingled and announced her arrival causing Luke to look up in her direction. She smiled at him as she approached the counter where he stood refilling salt and pepper shakers.

"Hey babe," Lorelai greeted. She leaned down onto the counter, "Need any help?"

Luke shook his head, "I've got this. Why are you in here? Why aren't you out there with the rest of the town?"

"Because my handsome man is in here," Lorelai answered. "And I came to see if I can convince him to come out and join me for at least a few minutes."

"Lorelai..."

"Before you say anything else just remember that we had plans that you would come to the festival. I know those plans involved April and she's not here and you're dealing with a lot today but you don't have to come out for a long time just enough for the fireworks," Lorelai replied. "Then we're both free to go home and have our own little firework show."

Even though she knew that she was a terrible winker, she added on a wink at the end of her sentence as well as a flip of her hair and a dazzling smile. She hoped that despite his dampened mood caused by the reality that Anna hit him with earlier that he wouldn't be able to resist and he would agree to come out with her.

"Just give me a few minutes here," Luke conceded. "I'll finish this and then we can go."

"I knew you would see things my way," Lorelai beamed.

After he refilled the salt and pepper shakers and distributed them to the tables, with Lorelai's help for the last part, Luke headed out the door hand-in-hand with Lorelai. Since they forgot their own blanket to spread out onto the grass for a place to sit for the firework show, they met up with Sookie and Jackson who allowed them to share their blanket. Lorelai sat down in front of Luke and leaned back against him as they prepared to watch the fireworks overhead.

"Oh I think someone wants to see her Aunt Lorelai," Sookie commented as she held Martha in her arms who looked up at Lorelai.

Lorelai grinned as she took Martha from Sookie and held her close to her, "Always happy to see this little beauty," she claimed as the young girl snuggled up to her. "She's not scared of the fireworks?"

Sookie shook her head, "No. She's not scared of loud noises. Davey makes enough noise around the house, she can't be scared of loud noises."

"That's good," Lorelai replied. She ran her hand through Martha's hair, "I miss when Rory was this size. So sweet and loved to cuddle. Now she's about to start her last year at Yale."

"At least she doesn't hate you like some mothers and daughters," Sookie added in.

"Nope, we still pretty much like each other." Lorelai titled her head to look back at Luke who had a melancholy expression on his face and she knew the reason for it, "I'm sorry you never got to see April when she was this age."

"I missed out on a lot," Luke observed.

"But no more," Lorelai reassured him. "We'll make sure of that."

"I know."

Lorelai smiled when she noticed that his expression grew more into a smile than before as she continued to cuddle with the baby in her arms, "What? Like what you see?"

Luke nodded his head, "I do. You look good like that."

"For future reference, I'm glad you think so," Lorelai replied with a smile. "We'll get to have our own one day. For now though, I think we should just enjoy the fireworks," she noted when a boom could be heard overhead indicating the start of the fireworks show.

Luke wrapped his arms around Lorelai and pulled her closer to him. He pressed a kiss down on top of her head. "Good idea," he whispered before they both looked up towards the sky just in time to see a few fireworks burst across the sky.


	12. Chapter 12

Luke cursed under his breath when his hands fumbled with the knot of his tie and caused it to just hang loosely around his neck, the cycle he started several minutes ago now repeating itself. He let out a heavy sigh before his hands went back to work as he tried once again to adjust his tie. After he called several law firms in towns surrounding Stars Hollow and turned down an offer from Kirk who claimed he could play the part of a lawyer, he finally found a lawyer that he thought of as competent enough to handle his case. Hence the reason for trading the usual flannel and baseball cap for his rarely worn suit and tie.

"Having some trouble?" came Lorelai's voice as she entered the bathroom, still clad in her pajamas and with her glasses on.

"Just a little," Luke replied. "There's something wrong with this tie."

Lorelai chuckled, "There's nothing wrong with the tie. The man wearing the tie however..." When she earned a glare from Luke, she chuckled again and stepped forward, "Here let me help."

Lorelai placed her hands on his shoulders and gently nudged him until he turned away from the mirror and faced her. Her hands slid from his shoulders to his chest where they quickly went to work to fix his tie. She savored the opportunities where she got to dress him or to help him dress. Although she reassured him several times that everything would work out fine, she knew his inability to tie his tie came from his nerves over meeting with his lawyer today.

"There you go," Lorelai announced when she finished with the tie and smoothed down the collar of his shirt. She smiled at him and because she knew that he needed to hear it, she added on, "Your meeting today will go fine. He'll be able to help you."

Luke stepped past her and headed into the bedroom, "He sounded confident that he could help when I talked to him on the phone."

"And he will be able to help," Lorelai reassured him as she followed him out of the bedroom. She picked up his suit jacket from the bed and helped him to put it on, "You did call several people, I'm surprised you finally found someone. I thought for a minute there I was going to have to call my parents and ask for help."

"I told you that I didn't want to involve your parents in this, I wanted to do this for myself without their help," Luke replied.

"I know babe," Lorelai sighed. "I was just thinking of a way that I could help you."

"I know you were."

Lorelai brushed a miniscule piece of lint of his suit jacket, "There you go, now you look very handsome."

"Don't get used to this look," Luke warned, the glint in his eyes let her know that he was joking. At least a little.

"Well as much as I love seeing you all GQ-ed up, I love it even more when you just in your flannel or the white shirt you wear underneath the flannel. That Luke is much sexier," Lorelai purred, her arms wound around his waist and she held him against her. "GQ Luke is a very nice treat every now and then."

Luke smirked, his fingers brushed up against the frame of her glasses as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "You know how I feel about you wearing your glasses."

"You seem to be very fond of them," Lorelai grinned.

Luke's fingers trailed across her cheek until they tapped under her chin and tilted her head up to his. "I am very fond of them," he confirmed before his free hand slid into her hair and brought her closer until their lips met.

The shrill ringing of the phone interrupted their embrace as Lorelai pulled away from Luke and went to answer the phone that rested on her nightstand. She answered the phone and chatted with April for just a couple of minutes before she passed the phone off to Luke so he could talk to his daughter.

While Luke talked on the phone with April, Lorelai resigned herself to getting ready for work and lunch with her mom later. As she searched through her closet for an outfit that was fashionable yet work-appropriate in her mind seeing as it was her Inn and she got to make that decision, she spied the dress bag that contained her perfect wedding dress at the back of the closet. She tossed a glance over to Luke, who sat down in the chair in the corner of the room as he talked on the phone, and noted that while not as formal as her dress Luke's suit could almost be for a wedding.

An image popped in her head of her standing before Luke in her dress while Luke was in his suit and she smiled. She quickly and literally shook the image from her head as to not think about their wedding day, whenever that would be. She and Luke had talk of being married and that they would get married one day but they still hadn't talked about setting a date or making any plans. She figured that maybe once things settled down a little more with April, Anna, and this custody case, that they could then talk about setting a date and making more concrete plans for their future but for now she would be content with how well things were going for her and Luke.

With Luke still on the phone with April, Lorelai selected her outfit and laid it across the bed before she disappeared into the bathroom to begin getting ready for her day.

* * *

"Bye Luke."

April placed the receiver back down in it's cradle after a conversation with her father. Lately her visits to Stars Hollow had been rescheduled, according to her mother, so the only interaction she had with her father and sometimes Lorelai was through the phone. She never brought up the non-visits on the phone with her dad, it was only mentioned if he said something about missing her when she couldn't visit. Her mother had been vague on why the days were rescheduled and with the way her mom reacted when she asked why she wasn't going to Stars Hollow that day made her drop the subject almost as soon as she brought it up.

April walked through her mother's store, she was supposed to man the front of the store for a few minutes while her mother went over some paperwork in the back. It had been a slow day for business and not exactly how she would have chosen to spend part of her summer vacation but she didn't have much of a choice as summer was winding down as well as her plans. It didn't help that she hadn't made trips to Stars Hollow recently although on the phone just now, her dad did say that she was free to stop by this afternoon as long as it was okay with her mother.

"Still no customers?" Anna asked as she emerged from a backroom, a stack of papers in her hand.

April shook her head, "Nope, no customers."

Anna settled herself by the cash register and set the paperwork down, she needed to go over invoices for the store. "Oh I thought there was a customer. I thought I heard you talking to someone."

April shook her head again, "Nope. I did call Luke though, that's probably what you heard."

"Oh," Anna said, her tone clipped. She hadn't told April about the custody case and even though April was already technically involved since she was the child, she didn't want to bring April into the mess unless absolutely necessary. "What did you two talk about?"

"Just caught up since I haven't been to Stars Hollow to see him recently," April replied. "He did say that he had something to do this morning but that I could come visit with him this afternoon if it was okay with you. Can I go?"

"April," Anna sighed. "I don't know."

April knew that sigh and that expression on her mother's face. It was rarely heard and seen but she still knew it well. Her mother only pulled that out when she wasn't going to like the answer given. The same look that she had when she asked about her father as she got older and the same look that she received over the past couple of weeks when she wanted to go to Stars Hollow. She already knew the answer but today she was determined to get answers.

"Mom," April complained like the teenager that she was, "I haven't been there since almost the beginning of summer. I like it there, I already had to miss one of the festivals. I want to go visit with Dad."

Dad. That word stopped Anna in her tracks. April sometimes referred to Luke as her father but mainly called him Luke around her, her referring to him as her father was only acknowledgment that he was the biological counterpart to her mother and never really out of love. But now she was openly calling him Dad. She was getting attached. One of her fears coming to life. She never knew Luke as a kid person and even though he swore that he would always be there for April, she just couldn't be sure. He could easily just leave though his promises said different. Her past experiences proved that to be true on a few accounts.

"April, I just don't know if I have the time to take you out there today," Anna tried to come up with an excuse. "Plus I need a little help in the store."

April glanced around at the still empty store-front, this time of day was usually dead and she knew that her mother could handle the store on her own, even at the busiest time of a day. She thought something was going on but wasn't quite sure. Her mom had taken a few private calls recently that she always passed off as just business calls. At first April thought her mom might be seeing someone and just keeping it from her but that didn't quite add up with a few other small things that she noticed. Something else was definitely going on.

"It would just be for a few hours," April reasoned, "I could go have dinner with him. Plus he said that he could come pick me up, or I could just ride my bike there. I've done that before."

"Not today April, you can visit with him another day," Anna quickly dismissed her daughter's reasoning. "I have work to do."

"That's what you said last time," April pointed out. "Last time I was supposed to go to Dad's and then didn't, you said the same thing. Why can't I go to Stars Hollow?"

"April, I said no," Anna addressed her daughter. "I am your mother and you will listen to me."

"I just want to know why," April prodded on. "Every time I was supposed to go to Stars Hollow, you made a vague reason on why I couldn't go. Is this because of what you and Luke talked about last time? You were mad when you left."

"What happened then is between Luke and I," Anna replied. "You don't have to concern yourself with that right now. You're not going to Stars Hollow today, just drop it."

April stayed quiet for a few minutes while she tried to think of a reason, any reason that would make her mom decide that she could no longer visit with her father or in Stars Hollow. Since she thought of herself as quite intuitive for thirteen years old, she thought that coming up with a reason would be easy but not too much came to her mind. One thing did occur to her, it would make sense although not much, at least not to her, but she could still ask. There was no harm is asking a question.

"Does this have something to do with Lorelai?" April asked.

Anna looked up from her paperwork, "What? Why would this have anything to do with Lorelai?"

April shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. It was just a guess. It took Dad a long time to introduce her to me and then this only happened after the day I hung out with her and Dad."

"That was Luke's choice on when to introduce the two of you," Anna pointed out although she knew that it wasn't entirely true and that she did play a part in it, especially more recently.

"Maybe. Still I was able to go to Stars Hollow until the day that I spent time with Lorelai, after that I haven't been back to Stars Hollow. I don't understand why," April replied.

When her mother stayed silent for several minutes with a look of concentration on her face, April decided to continue on with her thought from earlier.

"I'm sure if you met Lorelai you would like her, you two are alike in some ways. She's really fun to hang out with," April said. She noticed the way her mother's face changed at the mention of Lorelai, the same way she looked at her when she spilled about her day with Luke and Lorelai in Stars Hollow. A look that she couldn't quite place. "I talked to her on the phone too before I talked to Dad, she said she also missed me the days when I couldn't go to Stars Hollow, she's very nice."

If Anna feared April getting too attached to Luke in just a short period of time then they were only escalated to hear the way that April talked about Lorelai. As well as the way it seemed Lorelai talked about her daughter.

"I don't want you going to Stars Hollow today," Anna said.

April was about to give up, she knew when to push her mother and when to just leave her alone. It was nearing the time when she just needed to leave her alone. "At least tell me why you don't want me to go."

"I don't want you spending that much time with Lorelai," Anna admitted before she was even aware of what she said. She knew she had to back it up before April asked. "I'm sure she's nice like you said but I don't want you spending time with her right now. Your dad knew that and went against my rules."

"Why don't you want me spending time with her?"

Anna sighed, "It's complicated April."

"I'm not a little kid anymore," April gave the typical teenager response. "You can tell me. I'm old enough to understand."

"April, I said it's complicated so just leave it at that," Anna said, getting more agitated by the minute. "I said I didn't want you to get to know her right now. You're not going to Stars Hollow today, just drop it."

"But that doesn't make any sense," April argued. "I should be able to spend time with both of them, especially Dad. You're just doing this because you're mad at him."

"April I said just leave it so just drop it," Anna snapped. "I am your mother and you will listen to me."

April crossed her arms and fought the urge to storm off. All she was asking was to spend time with her father. She knew that Lorelai would be included in that time, at least some of it, and she was more than okay with spending her time in Stars Hollow with them. But her mother was mad at Luke so she wasn't going to get what she wanted, at least that's the way that she now saw it. She figured that here had to be more to this, there had to be something else going on but it's not like she was going to get any answers from her mother. She might have to investigate herself, just like she did to find out that Luke was her father. In the end, the urge to storm off won as she announced that she was heading home before she turned on her heel and stormed out the door, in a moody teenager fashion.

Anna let out a deep sigh as she leaned down on the counter and placed her head in her hands. She lifted her head just a little and watched as April hopped on her bike and headed in the direction of home. Even though she did ask for April's help at the store this particular day, she knew that it would be better if April were to head home. If she remained there, they would just end up in an argument over her father and Stars Hollow and the whole bunch that came along with her visits. It wouldn't help that lately April was showing more of all the moodiness that most kids gained throughout their teen years.

Anna could admit, at least to herself, that she was doing some of this because she was mad at Luke for going against what she wanted and introducing Lorelai into April's life. At the same time, her recent actions were also fueled by fear, irrationally, and maybe a hint of jealousy of the way that April spoke of Lorelai. She was only trying to protect April so she wouldn't get hurt but she couldn't explain any of that to her, she wouldn't understand. No matter how much her daughter insisted that she would. Coincidentally by doing what she thought was necessary to protect her daughter, she only ended up hurting her as well. She had no idea if what she was doing was right for her daughter or if it would work out in the long run but this was the path that she had chosen, that her gut had chosen, so she would continue along it and hope that, in the end, she was doing what was right.

* * *

Lorelai should have known that lunch with her mother wouldn't just be lunch with her mother where they would catch up and exchange pleasantries. They weren't the type to just get together and do lunch. The lunch usually came with a hidden agenda of something that Emily wanted to talk about since she was usually the one who requested the lunch. However, Lorelai figured that since Rory was joining them for lunch and the lunch was to take place at The Dragonfly that they were just simply having lunch with no hidden agenda.

What a fool she made herself out to be.

Before Lorelai and Rory could even place their drink order, Emily jumped right in to talk about place settings, centerpieces, flowers, invitations, and heated tents all of which would be absolutely perfect for a winter wedding to be held on the grounds of the Dragonfly.

"Slow down Mom," Lorelai held her hand up to impede her mother's rambling before she could launch into just how the interior of the Dragonfly would be decorated for the reception following the ceremony. "Now who's getting married?"

"What kind of game are you trying to play Lorelai?" Emily asked incredulously. "You know very well that I am talking about you and Luke. I've told you of these ideas before. Who else would I plan a wedding for?"

"I don't know," Lorelai shrugged. She paused to take a sip of her drink that she managed to order sometime during Emily's rambling earlier. "You seem fond of Logan, you may be trying to marry Rory off."

"Which I am not okay with by the way," Rory chimed in. "I'm so not ready to be married."

"Logan is a nice young man and I do approve of their courtship but I'm now talking about them right now. This wedding, this planning, would be perfect for you and Luke. I've always imagined you having a snowy winter wedding, a winter wonderland," Emily admitted. "I can even call Miss Celine if you need dress choices, she is the best after all, dressed your father and I for years but you know that."

"Mom," Lorelai sighed. "There is no need to call Miss Celine. There's not a wedding to plan."

"Well there can be," Emily insisted. "You and Luke are engaged-to-be-married, as far as I know there is no wedding date set yet but I don't know what's holding you two back from setting a date now. I was thinking December, I know it's short notice but we have a few months, we can get it planned."

Lorelai shook her head, "No Mom, you're not listening. Yes, Luke and I are engaged and we will be married one day but we're not planning right now." She locked eyes with her mother, "You're not planning anything right now."

"Why aren't you two planning anything right now?" Emily asked. "You're back together with Luke, things seem to be going well, you're engaged, it seems right to start planning your wedding."

"Things are going well for us," Lorelai agreed. "But that doesn't mean I'm planning anything right now. Luke and I haven't talked about setting a date or when we're getting married, we just know that it's going to happen. I'm not going to plan anything without talking to him first."

"Unlike how you managed to plan almost an entire wedding in one day last time," Rory pointed out. The expression that crossed her mother's face, which she quickly masked, caused Rory to emit a whisper of, "Sorry."

"It's fine babe," Lorelai assured her daughter with a soft smile. She turned her gaze to her mother, "Luke and I haven't talked about any of this recently, not in a planning way anyways. There's stuff going on right now, it's not the time. Can we just drop it?"

Emily stared at her daughter for a few minutes before she finally relented, "Fine," she said tersely.

Lorelai sighed, grateful that her mother decided to drop the subject though she knew it might not last for long and also grateful that the wait staff served lunch at that exact moment to hopefully distract her mother from asking what else was going on that would prevent wedding planning. As they began to eat lunch, Rory took hold of the conversation as she began to talk about her upcoming and last year at Yale. She talked of plans for her classes and plans for the upcoming year that involved going to visit Logan who was still in London.

Lorelai picked at her lunch in spite of the fact that it was one of her favorite dishes prepared by Sookie. She was happy with Luke and knew that there wedding was going to happen someday, she didn't doubt that but with her mother talking of wedding plans and even discreetly mentioning the 'perfect' house to Rory just moments ago, she managed to put herself in a funk. It didn't help that she was also faced with the reality of Rory starting her last year at Yale and not being able to spend a ton of time with her daughter since their lives were getting more different by the day. Then she was also trying to be as supportive as she could be for Luke during this time since she knew that he needed the support. She knew that she had a lot on her plate and some of it seemed to push her own worries to the back-burner but she was confident that she wasn't going to let it get as bad as it did before.

Lorelai's head snapped up when she heard her name called, "What?" she asked Rory.

"I asked if you were okay, you seemed a little out of it there," Rory answered.

"I'm fine, just thinking," Lorelai assured her daughter with a smile.

Rory didn't buy into the smile and asked once again if something was wrong and if that something had to do with Luke and his current situation.

"Why would this have to do with Luke?" Emily asked, first her granddaughter and then her daughter. "Is something going on with Luke? Is this why you two aren't planning anything for your wedding?"

Lorelai debated with herself in her mind whether or not she should tell her mother what was going on. She knew that Emily would insist on helping even though they didn't need the help, or Luke didn't want their help. But she also knew that if she didn't tell her mother, that she would eventually find out because the Gilmores' were highly connected and she was sure that one of her parent's friends or a friend of a friend would inform Emily of the custody battle as soon as they made the connection between Luke, Lorelai, and her parents.

"Anna, Luke's daughter April's mother," Lorelai started, giving the background information just in case her mother forgot the two people, "Wants sole custody of April. Luke was served with papers and everything. She's prevented him from seeing his own daughter." Before Emily could even offer help, Lorelai added on, "But he's handling it, he's talking to a lawyer. Luke's fighting for custody."

"Your father and I do know some very prominent lawyers," Emily pointed out.

Before her mother could say anything else, Lorelai quickly jumped in, "Luke already has a lawyer, he doesn't need help. We're handling it."

"I was just offering," Emily replied.

Lorelai nodded her head, "I know, but Luke wants to do this on his own which I understand." She stabbed at the food on the plate in front of her. "However I do think it's ridiculous that Anna hit him with this now. I'm sure she's doing this because she is mad at him, it's not as if he is an unfit parent."

"Why is it so ridiculous?" Emily asked. Both Lorelai and Rory looked at her as if she had suddenly grown an extra head. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

"Because I think you're starting to lose it," Lorelai replied in a tone that was more 'duh' than anything else.

Rory nodded her head, "Yeah, what she said."

"You're the one that reminds me that I made a mistake years ago by not marrying Christopher at sixteen since a child needs a mother and a father but now you're saying that it's not ridiculous that Anna wants sole custody of her daughter," Lorelai swiftly pointed out. "That seems a little contradictory to me. What Anna is doing is not right, not for her, not for Luke, and definitely not for April."

Emily cleared her throat, "I didn't say that I thought what she is doing was right, I just said that I do not find it ridiculous like you and Rory do."

Lorelai furrowed her brow, "Okay then, I don't understand how you can view this situation as anything but ridiculous since it is clearly not the best thing to do in regards to Luke and April. Remember you're the one who time and time again told me that a child needs a mother and a father."

"A child does need a mother and a father, I stand by that," Emily replied. "I'm just saying that I don't find it ridiculous that she wants sole custody. If she does gain sole custody, Luke will still be in her life. The same as he is now."

Lorelai shook her head, "No, you're not understanding me. This is ridiculous because there's no reason for it. And the point is that at the moment, she's not allowing him in her life. She's just doing this out of spite because Luke didn't exactly follow her rules. Luke deserves to be in his daughter's life."

"I do think Luke deserves to be in his daughter's life," Emily agreed. "But it's not like he'll never see his daughter again with what Anna is doing now. He'll still be a part of his daughter's life."

"Not in the way that he wants to be. Luke doesn't just want to see his daughter on scheduled visits anymore. He wants to be an active part of her life," Lorelai informed her mother. "He wants to be able to make decisions and not have Anna make all the choices. He doesn't want to be the type of father that just sees his kid every other weekend with no other involvement. Or the father who rarely sees his kid like someone I happen to know."

Emily knew right away who Lorelai slyly referred to, "Lorelai if you would have tried with Christopher, he would have been more of a part of his daughter's life. If you two would have just gotten married when you found out you were pregnant..."

"Not this again," Lorelai scoffed. "That is not the point nor will it ever be the point of anything. I always left the door open for Christopher, it was his choice when to spend time with his daughter, not mine. That is not the same as what is going on now. She is actively keeping April from her father and has for most of the girls' life, except for the recent months. She's only doing this because Luke stood up to her and decided to be a part of the decision making in his daughter's life."

"You're right," Emily acknowledged with a nod of her head, "It's not right that she is keeping April from her father but she's probably upset since he just came into her life and so much has changed for the both of them. She is scared of losing her daughter so she is doing what a mother is supposed to do, she is doing what is best for her daughter."

"Except it is not what is best for April," Lorelai argued. "Anna kept her father from her for most of her life. Now that's he is actually in her life and wanting to be there for her, she is trying to take all of that away. I can't see how that would be best for anyone, especially a young girl."

"All mothers have their definition of what is best for their children, just because yours doesn't match up with Anna's that does not mean that she is wrong," Emily replied. "This is what she believes is right."

Lorelai shook her head, "I can't believe what I'm hearing." She paused for a minute and rubbed at her temples. "You, the one person that has told me again and again that a child needs a mother and father in her life is siding with a mother who is essentially trying to take her daughter away from the father all because she got upset that the father stepped up to his fatherly duties. Who the hell are you and what have you done with Emily Gilmore?"

"Lorelai do not cause a scene, this is your Inn. This is bad for business," Emily warned. "And watch your tone when you speak to me."

Lorelai blew out a breath and crossed her arms, "I'm not causing a scene, I'm just trying to understand whatever wacky idea you have in mind."

"A child does need a mother and father and April will have that even if she does gain sole custody. Luke will be in his daughter's life, I believe that," Emily commented to which Lorelai rolled her eyes and wondered if her mother heard anything she said for the past few minutes. "Look at this way, Luke can still play a role in his daughter's life but this will give you and Luke a chance to move forward with your lives. With your wedding and future children, if that's something that you want."

Lorelai scoffed, "I can't believe you." She leaned across the table and kept her voice low as not to cause a scene. "Are you that concerned with me getting married and my future life? Because my future involves both Luke and April and Rory," she cast a glance over at her daughter who had been quiet for awhile now. "We can't just forget about April because this is happening and move on."

"I didn't say you would forget about her," Emily pointed out.

"But you implied that our lives would be easier if Anna had sole custody so April wouldn't necessarily be a big part in our lives," Lorelai replied sharply. "That's not the solution and equally as ridiculous as Anna doing what she's doing."

"Lorelai," Emily sighed.

Lorelai shook her head and braced her arms on her chair, "You know what, I can't deal with this right now. I can't listen to you anymore."

"Where are you going?" Emily asked when Lorelai threw her cloth napkin down on the table and hurriedly stood up from her chair, just seconds away from storming off. "You can't just leave. We're in the middle of lunch."

"Yeah, well suddenly I'm not very hungry anymore," Lorelai replied, her tone clipped. "I'll just leave you two to have lunch."

Emily turned slightly in her chair as her daughter marched out of the dining area and towards the lobby of the Inn. She could no longer see her daughter but she could definitely hear her talking with Michel, she assumed he was at his regular post of the front desk. She heard him tell Lorelai that she couldn't just leave work but Lorelai was swift to quip that she was the boss and had just given herself the afternoon off. A clacking of heels against hardwood floor and flash of dark hair whipping out the front door was all the evidence that Emily needed to know that her daughter had now left the Inn's premises.

Emily turned back around in her chair to face Rory, "I don't see why your mother has to be so dramatic about everything."

"She's not being dramatic Grandma," Rory pointed out. "Breaking out into song and dance before she stormed off would be dramatic but right now was not dramatic. She's just upset that you don't see her side."

"I don't see what was so wrong with what I said," Emily said defensively.

"Luke deserves more time with his daughter than what Anna would allow him if this sole custody thing goes through, he doesn't deserve just limited visitation time with her," Rory replied. "April would not be a hindrance to their relationship."

Emily huffed, "I never said that April would be a hindrance."

"You implied it, that's good enough," Rory pointed out. "Luke's a good father, I know that first hand. He was there when my dad wasn't. April is incredibly lucky to have a dad like him. Anna may think what she is doing is right, but it's not. Not for April or for Luke."

Emily pursed her lips. "Is lunch over? Are you going to go after your mother?"

"I think I can stay. Mom probably wants a little time to herself to cool off," Rory replied knowing in the back of her mind part of the reason that she was staying behind was for Grandma since it seemed the relationship that she built with Lorelai recently was now crumbling. "Besides Sookie's chocolate cake is for dessert and there's no way I'm missing that."

"That sounds delightful," Emily forced out while she tried not to worry that her new found relationship with her daughter may now be over all over one blow-up.

"Trust me, it is the best you'll ever have," Rory replied.


	13. Chapter 13

Lorelai drummed her fingers against the hard surface of the kitchen table, a few blank sheets of paper sat in front of her. At her feet were several crumbled up pieces of paper with scribbled out remnants of her thoughts that she tried and failed drastically to convey into words. She knew several words, she said many words per day, probably more than the average human and also at a slightly faster pace, yet when she needed to come up with words and form eloquent sentences her mind came up with a big, fat blank. Not a blank exactly since she thought of several other things, like what she wearing, what she needed to pick up from the dry cleaners, for some reason the movie  _Casablanca,_ but nothing in the realm of words that would be appropriate for a character reference.

Paul Anka was there to witness the very beginning of her attempts to write but as soon as the first piece of crumbled up paper hit the floor, he scurried out of the room and presumably hid somewhere. She quickly added crumbled up pieces of paper to the long list of things that scared Paul Anka.

Lorelai gasped and began to write something down but she only wrote a few words before she realized they sounded idiotic. Another crumpled up piece of paper hit the floor. She was asked by Luke the day he came home from meeting with his lawyer if she could write him a character reference since one was needed. She readily agreed since she wanted to help him in anyway that she could.

That was a couple of days ago.

Liz wrote a reference as well and had already managed to send it to Luke's lawyer before Lorelai could even come up with an opening sentence. Liz's reference held too many childhood anecdotes that did not need to be shared with anyone, much less a court of law. So Luke's total reliance for a character reference relied solely on Lorelai's shoulders. That's when the pressure really kicked in.

Lorelai realized that her reference, her words, her thoughts, could very well save Luke's relationship with April. But on the more negative side, she realized her words could have the opposite effect and Luke wouldn't gain joint custody like he wanted. She imagined that he would then blame her when he was forbidden to see April and he would leave her all alone where her fate would then be to become one of those cat ladies. She didn't even like cats.

Normally she had plenty to say about Luke and all the amazing things she thought about him but attempting to put those thoughts down into words while trying to avoid writing down too many personal anecdotes was an incredible tough task. Luke deserved a stellar reference letter but she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to write one. She tried to pawn the reference off on Rory since Rory was an amazing writer but Rory refused and told her that this was her task and she believed that she would write a reference letter to end all reference letters.

Lorelai sighed and laid her head down across the table. Maybe, just maybe, she was going a little too far and jumping to the worst conclusion. Her reference wouldn't be the reason that Luke wouldn't gain custody of April because he would definitely gain joint custody, the judge would have to be a complete idiot to side with Anna. She would just remain positive and maybe the words would come to her.

For the moment though, she needed a distraction.

Lorelai lifted her head and pushed away from the table. After a lunch break, she could get back to writing and maybe with enough food in her stomach, her brain could work at full capacity and pump out sentences that would lead to an amazing character reference.

She shuffled over to the refrigerator and surveyed the contents. Besides the takeout containers that were definitely at the point where no human should ever eat them, no matter how hungry or bored, the only food in the fridge had to be cooked and assembled into a meal that she couldn't create. One of the signs that the house was just as much as Luke's as it was hers now, they still had junk food but most of the contents at this point were actually of high food quality. Lorelai quickly tossed out all the old takeout containers, including an empty pizza box, and made the decision that she would have to go out for lunch.

After she slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed her keys, Lorelai headed out the front door with the diner in mind as her lunch destination. However, she stopped in her tracks on the front porch when she noticed her father getting out of his parked car and making his way towards her.

"Hey Dad," Lorelai greeted tentatively as she stepped off the front porch and into the yard, "Did I know you were coming over?" She mentally recalled the past few days but remembered nothing about her father paying a visit to Stars Hollow.

"What, a father can't stop by to visit his daughter?" Richard asked, he stopped in the yard to talk with Lorelai.

"A father can," Lorelai answered, "But I don't think you just ever randomly stopped by for a visit."

"Well I'm here now. I wanted to talk to you," Richard replied, he noted the keys in her hand. "Unless you were headed somewhere then I can just go."

"I was headed to the diner for lunch," Lorelai informed her father. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked although she had an idea what he might want to talk about.

Ever since the lunch with her mother a few days ago that ended with her walking out, she had not accepted any calls from the woman herself. She knew that they were slipping into their old routine but she still wasn't happy with what her mother said and Luke wasn't thrilled at what Emily had to say either when Lorelai told him about the lunch. She also knew that her mother would very well send her father to Stars Hollow to try and talk to her since the phone calls were going unanswered.

Richard clasped his hands together, "Oh good, the diner. I could go for some lunch myself." He nodded his head towards his car, "Come on, get in. I'll drive us."

Lorelai hesitated for just a moment, "You want to eat at the diner?"

"Why not? You and Rory rave about the food there all the time, it's lunchtime, and you were already headed there anyways," Richard replied. "I figured I could just go to lunch with you. Unless there's a reason that you can't have lunch with me today."

Lorelai sorted through an assortment of excuses in her head as to not have lunch with her father but she couldn't think of anything that he wouldn't see right through. The curiosity to see what he needed to talk with her about won out in the end. "Nothing that I can think of."

"Good," Richard smiled, "Let's go."

Lorelai started towards the car at the same time her father did, "I thought you wanted to talk."

Richard got into the car and waited for Lorelai to get into the passenger side before he replied, "I do want to talk with you but I see no reason why we can't talk over lunch. This has to do with Luke too and I'm assuming he's at the diner today, correct?"

Lorelai nodded her head as they began to drive away from the house, "Correct but besides Lane he's the only one there today, Cesar couldn't come in today. I'm pretty sure he won't have time to talk. He's busy."

"Well if he has a moment then I would like to talk with him but I can always do that another time at his convenience. I would like for it to be soon though. I have a few things that I would like to talk with you about as well," Richard replied.

Lorelai furrowed her brow, "What do you need to talk to the both of us about?" she asked. "Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess? I have a whole list of ideas."

"No, Lorelai, I'm not going to make you guess. We'll talk when we get to the diner. This is not really a car conversation."

"But it is a diner conversation?"

"It's a sit down and talk conversation preferably not in a moving vehicle conversation," Richard countered. "I assure you it's nothing to worry about, just something I want to run past you and Luke. If I can't talk to Luke today then I'm sure you can pass along the message."

Lorelai, still skeptical of her father's sudden interest in talking, just nodded her head, "Okay."

After a few minutes drive, Richard pulled his car into an empty parking spot directly in front of the diner. The diner was in the middle of the lunch rush, evident by the sheer number of people and Lane weaving through the people to make sure all the customers were served. Lorelai spotted an empty table in the corner of the diner and quickly pointed her father in that direction.

As they seated themselves, Richard took a moment to glance around the diner that was bustling with people. "Business seems to be good."

"Luke always has good business, especially on the weekends," Lorelai pointed out. "People love the food and the coffee."

"Did I hear coffee?" Lane asked as she approached. She looked down at Lorelai, "Coffee for you? Or should I not even ask at this point?"

"You know me well," Lorelai smiled. "Coffee would be great hon."

Lane turned to Richard, "And for you? Coffee as well?"

"Uh, no thank you. I will take some tea," Richard replied.

"Oh, um Lane this is my father Richard Gilmore, and Dad this is Lane, one of Rory's friends and one of my favorite people," Lorelai said as she introduced to the two people. "I don't remember if you two have met before."

"Nice to meet you sir," Lane said politely and with a smile.

"You as well Lane," Richard replied cordially.

"Can I get you anything else or do you need a moment to decide?" Lane asked. When told that they would like a minute to decide, she nodded, "I'll be right back with your drinks."

"You said she's one of Rory's friends?" Richard asked.

"Yep," Lorelai answered. "They have been friends for most of their lives, I think Lane spent as much time at my house as she did at hers. They're very close."

Richard nodded in response before he picked up the menu on the table and flipped through it occasionally asking Lorelai for her opinion on various dishes that the diner offered. When she said that her usual go-to for lunch or dinner is a cheeseburger and fries, Richard decided he would have the same as long as it was kept a secret between them since Emily wouldn't exactly approve of the diner food. Lane returned seconds later with their drinks and took their orders before she was whisked away once again by other customer's demands.

Lorelai watched her father over the rim of her coffee cup as she took a long sip. She set the coffee down and then crossed her arms on the table, "So Dad what did you want to talk about?"

Richard cleared his throat, "Your mother informed me of the predicament that Luke is in. By extension, what you're involved in as well. She informed me all about Luke and April and Anna."

"Hmm okay," Lorelai replied with a slow nod of her head, "I'm still not exactly sure what you wanted to talk about today."

"I know that your mother said that Luke already has a lawyer and that Luke would prefer to do this on his own but I was thinking that maybe if I just talked to him and to you that maybe I could change his mind," Richard said. "I know some very prominent lawyers. I talked to one that would be willing to take this case on even on short notice. He seems confident he can help win the case."

Lorelai blew out a breath, "I don't know. Luke is set on doing this himself. He already has a lawyer, one that he is happy with. I'm already writing a character reference for him." She shook her head, "I just don't think that he's going to accept your help."

"I can understand why he would not want to accept help, he doesn't seem like the type to openly accept help, not without a little prodding anyways," Richard began, "But I am offering to help. This is not just for Luke, it's for you too."

"Me?" Lorelai questioned.

Richard nodded his head, "Of course Lorelai. All of this that is going on involves you as well. You are a part of Luke's life, whatever the outcome from this, you'll be affected as well. April will be your step-daughter."

"Well I'm aware of that Dad..."

"I wasn't happy with Luke that night you showed up on our doorstep in tears because of what transpired between you two. I was angry that he made you that upset, that upset that you came to your mother and I for help," Richard admitted while Lorelai listened to him quietly. "Your mother had informed me of everything that you two talked about, what happened between you and Luke, I hated that he made you feel that way. I knew that before that night, that he made you very happy, that's why your mother and I were going to buy you that house as a wedding present to show that we were supportive of their marriage."

Lorelai listened to her father, she stayed silent but made sure that he knew she was still listening. At one point, Luke stuck his head out the kitchen when he was told by Lane that Lorelai was here for lunch. She gave him a small wave and smile which he returned before he disappeared back into the busy kitchen to prepare lunch for many of the hunger diner patrons.

"Then, through your mother again, I learned that you two worked things out and Luke was allowing you into his life in ways that he wasn't before," Richard said. "Then I learned of all of this with Anna. Now I have never met the woman but I have to say I'm not very fond of her. It seems as if she's only caused trouble between you and Luke since she came along."

Lorelai let out a small chuckle at her father expressing his disinterest in Anna. She tried not to harshly judge the woman and to understand her point of view so it wouldn't turn into a situation where none of the parents or step-parents could stand being in the same room for one another for a few minutes. Plus she also sympathized with fellow single mothers but the latest developments made her want to express the same disinterest that her father did.

"Luke and I could have both done things differently earlier on," Lorelai admitted. "Not all of that can be placed on Anna."

"But now she's the one that decided to go through with a custody case and is not allowing Luke to be around his daughter," Richard pointed out to which Lorelai nodded that it was true. She is messing with your life just as much as she is with Luke's."

"And April's," Lorelai added on, worried about the young girl that was at the center of the custody battle. "None of this is fair for her."

"You're right," Richard agreed. "None of this is fair for her, Luke, or you Lorelai. I know that actions can sometimes prove different but I am your father and I care very much about what's going on in your life and to see someone messing with your life like this, with your future with Luke, it upsets me. Which is why I want to help Luke out, to help you out, to help both of you through this with the results that you want."

"I know that Dad and when Luke was trying to find a lawyer, I even suggested that we could ask you for help since you probably knew some pretty good lawyers," Lorelai replied, "But Luke is so adamant about doing this himself, he's not the best at accepting help when it's offered."

"Neither are you," Richard pointed out. "You don't like to ask for help for yourself."

"True, I still accept help though, at least sometimes," Lorelai said. "I just want Luke to gain join custody like he wants and I have no doubt that he will because I don't think any judge would side with Anna but at the same time, I'm worried that him refusing help will not work out for him. Then he'll be absolutely crushed."

"I know," Richard acknowledged with a nod. "That's why I'm still offering to help. This man that I know, the one I have lined up to take this case if Luke wants the help, is a real shark of a lawyer. He's never lost a case for a client. He knows what he is doing."

Lorelai gave a small nod of her head in acknowledgment to Lane as she sat down their plates in front of them. She made sure Lane knew that they didn't need anything else before she replied to her father. "I'll talk with Luke. I can't promise anything but I talk to him about this."

"Just call when you do talk to him," Richard replied.

Lorelai promised him that she would though she knew that she would most likely end up talking with her mother before she ever got a chance to talk with her father. She couldn't avoid phone calls with her mother forever and it was just a matter of time before they talked again but for the moment she was still upset with her mother's comments.

As they ate lunch, the conversation was kept fairly light. Lorelai talked of the Inn and how it was doing extremely since Fall was approaching and their reservations were almost at capacity with people wanting to experience the beautiful season in Connecticut. Richard updated her on the latest goings-on with his business as well. Conversation turned to Rory and how she was starting her senior year at Yale soon and how proud Richard was of her. Once their food was gone and conversation had dwindled down, Richard informed Lorelai that he probably needed to leave since he had not informed Emily of where he was going.

"Wait, Dad, can you just sit back down for a minute?" Lorelai asked as soon as Richard made a move to get out of his chair and leave.

Richard sat back down as requested and looked at Lorelai curiously, "What's going on Lorelai?"

"I need a favor," Lorelai requested simply.

"What is it?" Richard asked.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself for what she was about to ask. She knew Luke might not approve since he was more of a private person to most people but it weighed on her mind since her father showed up at her house and during their conversation. She figured that while her father was here in front of her and offering his help, she could at least ask something else of him. It might cause an argument between her and Luke but it was something that she knew would help Luke out even if he couldn't see it.

"The thing is that Luke doesn't have many people that he can talk to," Lorelai started off. "He has friends but no one that he can really sit down with and talk where they can offer advice. He has me and we talk about things but sometimes I think he just needs someone else besides me. Someone that can offer advice from a different point of view."

"Go on," Richard prodded when his daughter fell silent.

"I knew Luke might not accept your help with a lawyer and he probably want even go for what I'm about to suggest but if I can convince him then would you be willing to do it?" Lorelai asked. She quickly continued on when she realized she hadn't asked her father anything. "I mean talk to him, try to give him some advice with what's going on right now. Just be a mentor of sorts, maybe?"

"You want me to talk with Luke?" Richard asked, shocked that his daughter would suggest a thing when usually she tried not to involve them too much in her life.

Lorelai nodded quickly, "I mean you don't have to and Luke might not even go for it, but you're a father and I just think you could maybe offer him some advice that I can't from that viewpoint. I just think that some advice from a fatherly point of view could help him out right now and I can't give him that. But like I said if you don't want to then that's fine I just..."

Richard interjected, "I'll talk with him Lorelai."

"You will?"

"I'll talk with him," Richard reiterated. "If you can get him to come over and talk with me, if he wants to, then I'll talk with him and try to help him out. Just let me know and we can set up a time."

"Thank you Dad," Lorelai smiled.

"Of course Lorelai," Richard replied with a smile as well. He moved to get up once again but turned back to Lorelai, "I have something to ask of you know."

Lorelai sighed, "Naturally."

"Talk to you mother Lorelai," Richard requested. "I know that you have not been answering her phone calls, I know that something happened at that lunch. I don't know what was said or what happened, I just know that she came home that day in a worse mood than she has been in lately. Before then she was happy that you two were getting along better than usual, but lately her mood has been off. She's already fired three maids."

"That's not unusual," Lorelai noted, "That happens with her."

"In one day Lorelai, three different maids in one day," Richard explained. "I have no idea how or why but I know I saw three different maids in one day and every single time your mother complained and then fired them. She gets like this when something goes wrong. I don't know what was said at lunch but just thinking about accepting her calls, okay?"

Lorelai gave a small nod of her head, "Okay."

With that Richard got up to leave after settling the bill with Lorelai in which she insisted that she pay. Richard, however, insisted on leaving a big tip for Lane because of her excellent customer service and the fact that she was one of Rory's friends. Once her father left, Lorelai gathered her things and headed towards the kitchen in the diner. Knowing Luke wouldn't like in there surrounded by everything, she opted on just poking her head in the doorway and calling out for Luke.

"Hey babe," Lorelai greeted when Luke came into view. "Busy day?"

Luke nodded, "Very busy." He leaned against the doorway to talk with Lorelai for a minute, "What was your father doing here?"

Lorelai glanced over her shoulders at the customers still left in the diner before she turned back to Luke, "I'll tell you later, looks like you have plenty of customers to worry about."

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked.

"Everything's fine hon," Lorelai reassured him. She leaned forward and pecked his lips. "I'll see you at home later. Now get back to work, you can let people starve."

Luke chuckled, "See you at home later."

* * *

April sat cross-legged on her bed with an open notebook laid out in front of her. To the side of the notebook sat an assortment of pens in various colors all of which had a specific purpose in her note-taking. There were several notes already scribbled down on the page, different color ink linking some of her thoughts to others in her attempt to come up a cohesive argument. Her school was not yet in session, just a few more days to go, but she told her mother that she was working and mapping out how a new year at school would go.

Yet, that was a lie.

In reality she was working much more different. Something that would have a direct impact in more ways than school would in the upcoming weeks. Something that had everything to do with a secret that her mother thought she could keep from her.

After the fight she had with her mother a few days ago about why she couldn't visit her father in Stars Hollow, April decided that she, once again, needed to take things into her own hands and investigate since she was sure that her mother was hiding something from her. With evasive answers and secret phone calls, April knew that there was more going on than her mother was telling her. She just had to get to the bottom of things.

Her investigation only took a matter of hours once she finally got home. All it really took was a thorough investigation of her mom's room, which wasn't the easiest task in the world since her mother liked to leave clothes all over the floor, but once she found locked box on her mother's dresser with it's matching key hidden in a jewelry box, April had her answers.

Inside the box were custody papers, that after April studied them for a while she deduced they were copies and not the actual papers. From what she could understand, her mother wanted sole custody. After a little research on what sole custody meant and what her mother hoped to accomplish, April was not happy in the least bit. Granted it already seemed like her mother had sole custody but that only seemed that way, to her, because she was just getting to know her father after 12 years of not knowing him. She wasn't happy that her mother was doing this to Luke, her father that she wanted to be able to spend more time with and really get to know. She had even considered the possibility, not necessarily soon but one day, where she would spend more than just a few hours with her father, maybe even spend a few days in Stars Hollow overnight. Now it seemed that if this went through then that would not happen.

While her mother was still gone, April called her father and asked him about the papers. Luke didn't want to place all the blame on Anna but assured April that he was fighting back with his own lawyer and that they would definitely be able to spend some time together soon.

When her mother came home from her shop that night, April confronted her about the papers and wanted a reason for why her mother chose to do this. Another argument quickly escalated when Anna tried to convince her daughter what she was doing was best for her even if she couldn't understand. April confessed that she didn't like the idea and that it wasn't what she wanted in her life. She tried to make her mother understand her feelings on the situation but it came pretty clear soon that they were just talking in circles.

Since then, the mother and daughter kept their conversations short since April was still upset with her mother. This was one of the first real fights that they ever had. Which is why April decided to keep the fact from her mother that she met up with a lawyer herself. She just wanted her voice to be heard. She wasn't sure if a lawyer would even listen to her since she was so young but she thought of herself as mature enough for the situation so that is how she presented herself to the lawyer.

The lawyer that April met up with informed her that she could have her voice heard in the custody case it was just a manner of whether or not a judge would take her comments into consideration. While he couldn't do much for her, he advised her to think about what she wanted to say when she would speak to the judge so she would be understand in what she wanted the outcome of the case to be.

Which is what led April to her dutiful note-taking in her room, which had took up most of her day. She decided to keep this from her mother until she came up with what she wanted to say so she could carefully present her ideas to her mother and then maybe she would listen. She wasn't used to keeping things from her mother but thought that it might be the best thing to do, at least for now.

"April, dinner," came her mother's call.

April was broken out of her thoughts by her mother's voice. She glanced over her notes once more and decided that they were coming along well. With notes like hers, the judge would have to listen to her and consider her feelings. She closed the notebook and hid it amongst her school supplies before she exited her room and headed towards the kitchen.

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai sat on her couch flipping through the TV channels while Luke sat beside her resting his tired body on her. When she found something suitable to watch, she sat down the remote and gently ran her hand through Luke's hair. The long day at the diner had worn him out but he insisted on sitting down here with her instead of going up to bed. They hadn't talked about why her father was it the diner with her earlier but she figured that she should go ahead and tell him, the sooner the better.

"Luke?" Lorelai called softly, her hand continuing to run through his hair.

"Hmm?" Luke asked, his eyes were closed and he sounded like he was on his way to being asleep.

"Remember how my father was at the diner today?" Lorelai inquired. Luke responded with a nod and asked her what he was doing there today. "He wanted to talk to us about maybe helping you out since he knows some very prominent lawyers."

"I already have a lawyer Lorelai," Luke replied, he shifted his position on the couch but didn't open his eyes.

"I know that hon and I also know that you don't want to accept help from my parents but my dad said he knows a really great lawyer that can take your case, even on short notice," Lorelai informed him. "He's sure that he can help you win joint custody."

"I have a lawyer," he repeated, "I don't need another one."

"Will you at least consider my dad's offer?" Lorelai asked. "He really wants to help and I just want to make sure that everything goes the way that you want. Just consider it, for me."

"Fine."

Lorelai gave a frown at his noncommittal fine, she wasn't sure if he knew what he was agreeing to seeing that she was pretty sure he was almost asleep at this point. She didn't want to push him since he was tired but knew that this needed to be done soon since the court date was right around the corner.

"One more thing babe," Lorelai requested.

Luke yawned, "What?"

"I want you to talk with my dad. I don't mean the sometimes awkward conversations you two stumble through while trying to talk about golf, or your business, or his business, I mean really talk. Just you two, a man-to-man talk," Lorelai answered. "I asked him to talk to you."

That got Luke's attention. He sat up and focused his attention on Lorelai, "What are you talking about?"

"I just think that you need someone else to talk to about this besides me. I can give you all the advice I want on what I think you should do but I just feel like that might not be enough," Lorelai explained. "I think you just need advice from a different point of view, like my dad's. I don't think you fully understand what's going on right now."

"I know what's going on," Luke replied. "I know what Anna is trying to do, I understand everything completely. I know that she's keeping my daughter from me, that she doesn't want you around April, or hell even me at this point. I understand, I don't need your father to tell me what's going on."

"Okay, maybe that was the wrong thing to say but I just..." Lorelai faltered. "I love you and want everything that you want for April, I just think that my dad could help you out. He knows how to deal with things like this."

"He's never had to deal with a custody case."

"No but he's dealt with plenty of lawyers before, he's friends with them," Lorelai replied. "He knows how to deal with them, you don't even like lawyers. Plus he's a dad, granted he had a different style of parenting, but I think that he could offer you a little guidance in that area. Just a man-to-man talk about fatherhood or guidance on how you could handle this or, I don't know I just believe that you could help you out."

Luke couldn't ignore the pleading look in her eyes as she looked at him. He knew that she was only trying to help and that she was serious since she was asking her parents for help, her heart was in a good place. Still he didn't care for the idea of Richard involving himself in the issue even if he was going to be his father-in-law someday. He also wasn't fond of the idea of a man-to-man talk with Richard, he wasn't one to discuss private matters with just anyone. There was too much that he had to think about at this point and as tired as he was, he didn't want to discuss this further.

Luke announced that he was going to bed and headed towards the staircase leaving Lorelai by herself on the couch. She stared after him as he made his way up the staircase with a look on her face that indicated she was confused by his behavior. She expected more of a reaction out of him.

Lorelai hugged a pillow to her chest as she tried to focus on whatever channel she decided to leave the television on but her mind was everywhere else but the program on in front of her.


	14. Chapter 14

Luke took a seat in the plush leather armchair that Richard advised him to after they entered the older man's study. While Richard went to his drink cart to fix drinks for them both, Luke tried and failed to feel at ease in the atmosphere of the Gilmore home and in the presence of Richard with whom his last one-on-one time didn't exactly pan out well. Despite not really being a scotch man, Luke accepted the glass that Richard offered and vowed silently to watch his drink count so this meeting wouldn't remind him of the time he spent on the golf course with Richard where he had one drink too many and didn't exactly give off the best impression. When Richard seated himself in the leather armchair across from him, Luke took a sip from his glass and offered a compliment that he hoped made sense and would appeal to Richard. With the silence in the room, Luke took the time to scan the bookshelves that lined the walls of the study that he was sure was filled with many books that were worth more than anything he owned.

Luke had been hesitant about the meeting ever since Lorelai brought it up a couple of nights ago. He wasn't one to exactly open up to just anyone but he knew that he would have to open up in the courtroom about his life and the situations that led to a custody battle for his daughter, so he decided to take the meeting with Lorelai's father. That and with Lorelai's insistence that her father could offer him help in ways that she couldn't, the ways of a father was how she put it, he didn't really have much of a choice. Lorelai's insistence and his willingness to do anything for her and his daughter led him to calling Richard early this morning and scheduling a time for him to drop by the house for their man-to-man talk/mentoring session. Richard insisted on having the meeting on the same day that Luke happened to call since they only had a limited amount of time before the custody case would be dealt with in court. If there was help to be offered and then possibly accepted, it had to be done as soon as possible.

Luke wasn't sure what to expect from this meeting, mentoring session, man-to-man talk, or one of the many other names that Lorelai colorfully referred to it as over the past couple of days. Growing up, Luke knew his father was a very stoic man, something that had been pointed out to him over the years about himself now as an adult, so heart-to-heart discussions weren't very common. They both could say a lot with just a few words or through just talking sports or the hardware store. One instance he remembered his father showing emotion and sitting him down for a discussion was when his mother passed away when he was young. His father sat him and Liz down for a discussion suitable for young kids but also acknowledging the realities of life after their mother passed away. Besides that instance, Luke could remember just a couple more discussions of the same vein that he had with his father just a few months before his father passed on. Considering this, he felt that his reservations about his discussion with Richard was justified. He just reminded himself that he was doing this for both April and Lorelai, two people who he knew his father would love.

Richard took another drink from his glass then cleared his throat, effectively cutting through the silence in the room. "Lorelai felt that is was appropriate that we talk about what's going on in your life with your daughter and this custody case."

Luke nodded his head as he sat his glass down on the coaster that sat on the table in between the two chairs, "Right, she thought you could help me or something like that. I told her that I didn't really need help but she kept insisting and..."

"And she wouldn't give up on the idea until you agreed to do what she wanted you to do?" Richard asked knowingly.

"Yep," Luke confirmed with another nod of his head, "That's pretty much it."

"Emily is the same way, that's where Lorelai gets it. They are both very stubborn when they want something done their way, they don't give up," Richard replied. With his finger sternly pointed in Luke's direction he added on, "But don't you dare tell Lorelai I compared her to her mother. I don't think she would be a fan of the comparison. That doesn't leave this room."

Luke chuckled, feeling slightly more at ease than before he replied, "I know Lorelai better than that to compare her to her mother."

Richard tipped the glass in his hand in Luke's direction, "Good man," he commented. He finished off the contents of his glass and set it out of his way before he spoke again. "Now as well as you know Lorelai, you know that is was probably hard for her to ask me to help you out. I had already offered to help with finding a suitable lawyer, because I know some real sharks, but Lorelai was the one that suggested that we sit down together and talk. Now I have to admit that I was surprised she even asked me for help because it's hard for her to ask for help from anyone, especially from Emily and me."

"Because she fancies herself Wonder Woman," Luke mused quietly and with a smile on his face, unaware that he spoke the words aloud until Richard asked him what he meant. He gave a shake of his head to dismiss his words from before, "Just something Lorelai said about herself once before."

"Sounds like something Lorelai would say," Richard added thoughtfully. He leaned over, just a fraction of an inch closer to Luke but still in a way that made Luke want to recoil. "I'm going to be honest with you right now Luke. Now I'm sure you can imagine that night Lorelai showed up here in tears, I was not happy with you. The fact that she came here when she was upset was a testament to how hurt she was. I hated that you hurt her in that way."

Luke stammered, the uneasy feeling crept back up on him with Richard's confession and the hard stare he was currently on the losing end of from his fiancée's father. "I never meant to hurt her. I hated myself for ever making her feel that way," he finally managed to respond. "I would never intentionally hurt her in any way."

"I know that you never meant to hurt her," Richard assured Luke. "We all do things that we're not proud of, whether we're aware we're doing them or not. Relationships take a lot of work and I know that you and Lorelai have worked things out which I am glad about, I can see how happy you make her."

"I just like to see her happy."

"As well you should," Richard replied. "That's one of the reasons I agreed to talk with you when Lorelai asked; you're obviously very special to her. Since she is my daughter, I will help her out in whatever way she needs it. From what I know about you and from what Lorelai told me, I know that you're not very open to accepting help from others but since you are important to Lorelai, I agreed to try to help you, talk with you, any way that I can offer help. Besides you're going to be my daughter's husband someday so that makes you family. Family should help out family."

Luke, unsure of what to say other than the fact that he agreed with Richard, remained silent and just nodded his head, hoping that the older man took that as a sign that he agreed with him and that he should continue on. His father had taught him the same lesson when he was young and he expressed it several times with the many times he helped out Liz over the years. And even when he begrudgingly allowed TJ to help with the repairs on the diner.

"But I'm sure that you understand that sentiment well, at least from the stories I've heard about you from both Lorelai and Rory over the years. I know that they weren't family at the time but you obviously cared for them both from the times you helped them out," Richard pointed out. "It takes a great man to step up and help out like that."

Luke shrugged his shoulders and said, "It was no big deal. I just did what I could for them, when Lorelai let me help, because I cared for them...I care for them, for both Lorelai and Rory," he added on just to be clear.

"I know you care for them It's obvious that they both care for you as well. It is a big deal," Richard insisted. "You weren't required to help them out in any way over the years but you did, that says a lot about your character."

Luke once again chose to remain silent while Richard spoke. He bit his tongue as to not say anything in regards to Christopher, whom the Gilmores seemed to hold in the highest regards despite him only being there for his family when it was convenient for him. The issue of a man's character didn't seem to phase them when it was in regards to someone of their societal standards or the biological father of their grandchild. That was a point he would never fully understand so he chose to let the moment pass without uttering a single word.

"I'm not sure what Lorelai told you about her childhood, about me as a father, though I can imagine, but I always did what I thought was right," Richard spoke up. "I did what I was taught to do, I worked to provide for the family, to make sure they had a good life and a nice place to live."

"That's what Lorelai told me," Luke replied, recalling a similar conversation he had years earlier with Emily. "That you did what was right for the family."

"I did, I provided for my family," Richard confirmed. "I was never really a hands-on type of dad, neither was my father. I worked too much to be that type of dad. Many nights I came home way past Lorelai's bedtime because I had to stay late of the office. I never took her to the zoo or circus, Emily claimed they were filthy so we didn't go. That's not to say that I don't have memories of us spending time together because we did, I remember reading to her on the nights I came home early, listening to records together here in my study."

A fond smile crossed the older man's face while he spoke of a much, much younger Lorelai; one that would sit with him some nights while he worked until she was eventually taken upstairs to be given a bath, one that was only four years old but already declaring that she was going to Yale just like her daddy, one that he would dance with in his study while they listened to his old records, one that had yet to discover the latch on her bedroom window that she could use to sneak out at night.

The fond smile was soon replaced by a solemn expression. "I did spend time with my daughter but those memories are few-and-far between because I needed to provide for my family, I had to work frequently. Then as she got older, we didn't spend time together."

Luke nodded along as Richard spoke a little of Lorelai's childhood, he already knew a few stories about that time from talking with Lorelai before. Her memories were basically the same as Richard's, in that there weren't that many to recall. Thought Richard did mention one or two things about Lorelai's childhood that Lorelai never mentioned.

Because he thought the older man needed to hear it, Luke said, "You know, Lorelai doesn't think you're a bad father, she's never said anything like that. She knew that you were doing what you were supposed to."

"And I'm glad," Richard replied, the look of relief clear on his face. "She could resent me more for not being around as much as I should have been as a father." He fell quiet, his gaze rested on a picture of Lorelai as a young child for a few minutes before he turned his attention back to Luke. "I do regret that I wasn't around that much for her growing up. I wish that I wasn't the father that was always working and not at home as much but I was just doing what I was taught. I'm telling you this because I know how upset you must be that you missed out on the first twelve years of your daughter's life. I don't want you to regret not being able to be there for your daughter now and in the future."

With his eyebrows knitted close together in thought, Luke chose his next words carefully. "I'm not…," he paused then shook his head, changing the words in his mind. "I wanted to get to know my daughter, I wanted to be the dad that is there for their kid and I was. It took a little while but I was there for her and then Anna got mad about my decisions for April's life and threw this custody thing my way."

"I wasn't trying to imply that you wouldn't be there for your daughter because I know that's not true, the very fact that you're fighting Anna on this proves that," Richard replied, taken aback by the almost angry tone now in Luke's voice. "What I was trying to say, and one of Lorelai's concerns too, is that we don't want you to refuse this help and then regret the decision later in case things don't go the way you want them to in court. I'm sure you picked a fine lawyer but I'm just telling you that I'm offering the help of one of the best lawyers I know, and every parent just wants the best for their child."

"I do, I want the best for April," Luke agreed. "I wasn't there for the first twelve years, all Anna's lousy decision, but I want to be there now. I want to see her grow up. I want her to grow up with her father in her life. I want to be there."

"Of course, any respectable father wants to be an active part in their child's life," Richard said leaving Luke wondering once again about why Christopher wasn't held to the same standard. He brushed it off again though, now wasn't the time or place.

Luke sighed, "I just already missed out on so much. I don't want to miss out on anything else."

"I understand completely. You shouldn't have to miss out on any moments of her life," Richard sympathized. This time his gaze went to a framed picture of Lorelai from when she graduated from business school a few years ago. He smiled, remembering how proud he was of her that day and everything she had accomplished on her own.

"I missed out on a ton of Lorelai's life," Richard said, he turned his attention back to Luke. "When she left home, I missed out on everything in both her life and in Rory's. The circumstances may have been that she only needed the money for Chilton but I started to enjoy the weekly dinners because I got to see them more than just on certain holidays. I not only got to see Rory grow and blossom and go off to college but I got to see Lorelai blossom too with everything she has managed to accomplish over the years. Sometimes I'm amazed at how much she has accomplished on her own."

"She is an amazing person," Luke commented.

"That she is," Richard agreed. "I know you're trying your best to do the right thing here Luke, to do what's best for your daughter and I'm your side about what is best because you should be able to make decisions in her life but I don't want you to put off the help I can offer just because you don't like accepting help. If you really don't want my help that's fine. I do want you to think about it though. Don't just dismiss it."

"Okay," Luke nodded.

Richard gave a single nod back to Luke. "Now tell me a little about April, I want to know about her."

* * *

Lorelai massaged her temples while she watched her mother sip on various teas and nibble on an assortment of finger foods all that Sookie prepared as part of the tasting menu for the proper high tea that Emily scheduled for this upcoming Friday at the Inn. Michel stood on one side of her with an obnoxious smirk on his face since he thought it would be fun to not tell Lorelai about her mother scheduling tea at the Inn for the young girls she had taken under her wing for etiquette training. On the other side of her stood Sookie who was near tears from the sharp criticism from Emily over her attempt to make the menu a little more kid-friendly.

A few minutes later, Emily dabbed at her mouth with the napkin and finalized the menu for Sookie before asking to see the room in which the tea would be held. Lorelai hung back, letting Michel take the lead on that one while she comforted Sookie and assured her that she was the greatest chef that she ever knew and that the criticism from Emily was probably because she never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her life. To make Sookie smile, Lorelai swiped a few of the finger food size PB&J's and insisted that no one could make one better. Once Sookie was successfully cheered up and back in the kitchen ready for more cooking action, Lorelai headed to the front desk. On the way there, she ran into her mother and Michel who where finalizing plans for the proper high tea.

"I will personally make sure everything is in proper order for your tea Mrs. Gilmore," Michel schmoozed.

"Thank you Michel," Emily replied. She turned her attention from him and towards her daughter, "Lorelai may I speak with you privately please?"

"Uh sure Mom," Lorelai answered. "We can just go into my office."

Michel leaned over to whisper to Lorelai, "Ooh someone's in trouble."

"Shut it Michel," Lorelai whispered back harshly. With a forced smile on her face, she turned back to her mother, "Right this way Mom."

Lorelai led her mother back to the office, ignoring the comments her mother made about her outfit but accepting a compliment when her mother told her she liked her hair the way she was currently wearing it. In her office, Lorelai chose to sit down on the small couch she recently purchased for her office and gestured for her mom to join her.

"So what did you need to talk about?" Lorelai asked as soon as her mother sat down.

"You've been ignoring my calls lately," Emily pointed out. "If you didn't then maybe you would have known about the tasting today. Since you've chosen to ignore me, I have no idea what's going on in your life."

"I know I have," Lorelai replied. She never did follow through on the favor that her father asked her. Instead she continued ignoring her mother's calls, for no good reason really. "I just..."

"Since you have been ignoring my calls," Emily interjected. "I've had time to think about what transpired the last time we spoke to one another. I've had time to think about a few things Rory said to me after you left that day. I'm aware that my comments that day hurt you and made you believe that maybe I thought April would be a hindrance to your relationship with Luke."

"Have you been seeing a therapist?" Lorelai quickly retorted, seemingly unfazed by her mother's words.

"What?" Emily inquired. "Why would you even ask that?"

Lorelai gave a shrug of her shoulders, "I don't know. This just seems so calculated, like someone else was telling you to say it and you just filled in the blanks for our situation."

"No, I'm not seeing a therapist Lorelai," Emily replied. "I'm trying to be honest with you. I'm trying to apologize. I do mean what I am saying."

Lorelai spread her arms in a sweeping gesture, "Then continue on."

"I never meant to upset you Lorelai. I never wanted you think that I thought of Luke's daughter as a hindrance," Emily said, her attention focused fully on Lorelai as she tried to make her daughter understand that she really did meant what she was saying. "As your mother, I want what's best for you. I want you to be happy. I know you want a life with Luke so I had an idea on one direction you could take at the moment."

"Just listen to me Mom," Lorelai started out and hoped she wouldn't be interrupted. "I am happy. So, so happy with Luke. And yes honestly this custody battle, whatever you want to call it, has disrupted our lives but it's something that has to be dealt with. April comes with Luke and we can't just sweep her under the rug because Anna decided to throw this Luke's way. I wholeheartedly support Luke's decision so I'm standing by him."

"I never intended for you to sweep this under the rug, as you put it, I was just trying to say…."

"I know, I know," Lorelai cut her mother off. "You want me to have the wedding and more children but Luke and I are already sharing our lives together. I know a long engagement is probably not ideal for you but I know that Luke is there for me and I'm there for him. Luke has supported me through so much over the years, with Rory, the Inn, everything. I don't want to not support him now because that's not what a partner should do. This is the way that Luke and I are handling things and I'm okay with that."

Emily hesitated a few minutes before replying. "You do still want to get married, right? You're not going to be one of those couples that forgoes marriage and just lives together."

Lorelai shook her head and laughed, "No, marriage is still in the future. We do want to be married. It will happen for us someday, we just have a few obstacles right now. I do want to be Mrs. Danes one day."

"Danes?" Emily echoed.

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah, well that is Luke's last name. The wife usually takes the husband's last name."

"Well I know that but I figured that you've never been one for traditional ways that you just might stick with Gilmore," Emily replied.

"I might keep the Gilmore, just tack the Danes onto the end of it," Lorelai replied as if she hadn't thought about several times. "Who knows I might decide to change my name entirely, maybe not be Lorelai anymore."

Emily suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, "Of course." She surprised Lorelai by taking her daughter's hand in hers. "Lorelai, I really am sorry about my comments that day. I know that's not you or Luke. I know your future involves April. I wanted you to be happy and planning for your future but I can see that you are, just in this way now. Once everything settles back down, I would like to get to know April myself."

Lorelai smiled and squeezed her mom's hand gently, "Thank you."

Emily smiled and nodded in response. She gingerly pulled her hand away from Lorelai's and stood up from the couch. "So I'll see you Friday for the tea here?"

Lorelai, used to the abrupt changes in conversation with her mother, stood up alongside her. "I'll be here. You wanted them to have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate milk instead of smoked salmon and tea, right?" she asked as she led her mother to the office door.

"Honestly Lorelai," Emily sighed.

Lorelai opened the door for her mother and allowed her to exit first, "Just a joke mother. They will have the most proper high tea in Connecticut. I'll just let Michel do all the heavy lifting."

"See you on Friday," Emily commented before walking away.

Once her mother left, Lorelai slipped back into her office. During her brief yet important conversation with her mother, something pinged in Lorelai's brain and sent in a wave of fresh ideas for the character reference she had yet to write. Thinking about how much Luke had done for her and Rory over the years finally gave Lorelai the inspiration that she had searched for ever since Luke asked her to write a reference. With a pen in hand, Lorelai sat down to write a character reference that a judge could never ignore.

* * *

Later that night, Luke sat on the couch with Lorelai stretched out next to him. She was currently chattering away on the phone with Rory, occasionally nudging him when she had to ask him something so she could relay it back to Rory or when Rory requested a special meal for the next weekend she decided to visit home.

Despite the many interruptions, Luke's mind wasn't at all focused on Lorelai's phone call with Rory. His mind was elsewhere. His mind was on the business card that now resided in his wallet courtesy of Richard Gilmore who once again extended his help in finding a lawyer suitable for this case. Luke found it laughable that the lawyer that Richard suggested was one he initially called only to have the lawyer reject his case because he quote "just didn't have the time". When he pointed that out to Richard, they shared a laugh and Richard made sure to tell Luke to mention that he was his son-in-law, that way the lawyer would definitely take the case.

Luke was surprised when Richard asked about April and said he wanted to know about her but it didn't take him long to talk about his daughter and how he was already so proud of the life she led at thirteen years old. Once he talked about April, he found it easier to talk about different things. Their topics varied from Richard offering more advice to Luke to the old car that Richard once tried to restore. Before long, Luke realized he probably needed to head home and promised that he would think about Richard's offer to help.

Over dinner, Luke and Lorelai swapped stories about their day with Luke mentioning to Lorelai not to send her character reference off yet, the one she proudly announced she finished with a flourish but refused to let Luke read, since he was debating whether or not to take her father's help. She agreed to wait but not too long since she was absolutely sure that Luke would try to sneak a peek at the letter if she just left it laying around the house.

Luke gently removed Lorelai's legs from his lap and stood up from the couch. When she moved the phone away from her mouth and asked where he was going, he replied that he just had to make a quick call before he left the room with his cellphone in his hand and a decision made to call this lawyer that Richard knew just to see what he had to say.


	15. Chapter 15

Lorelai stood in the bathroom in front of the mirror putting one last coat of mascara on her lashes. Once finished, she dropped the tube back down on the counter and sifted through the various makeup products for the lipstick that she needed. The area surrounding her bathroom sink was much more scattered and disorganized than Luke's that only held a few products which were all neatly organized. She vowed to clean her side later but for now she just applied her lipstick and tried to ignore the incessant pacing right outside of the bathroom door that had been going on for at least thirty minutes now but that seemed to be a losing battle. She drew in a deep breath and pushed down how annoyed she felt at the muffled sound of dress shoes padding across the hardwood floor because she knew it was all just a product of how nervous Luke felt about today.

Lorelai checked her appearance one last time in the mirror before she exited the bathroom. "You know if you continue to pace around the bedroom like that, you're going to sweat right through that suit and we'll have to start this whole process all over again."

Luke didn't reply to her comment but stopped the pacing to show that he at least heard her. "Are you finally ready now? Can we leave?"

"Not yet, still need shoes," Lorelai answered as she bypassed Luke and headed straight for the closet. She knelt down and carefully selected a pair of black heels that matched perfectly with her dark blue dress before she moved to sit on the end of the bed.

"You're going to make us late," Luke said, a slight edge of irritation beginning to creep into his voice as he tried to hurry her along.

With her shoes now on, Lorelai turned to look at the clock on the nightstand since she did have the habit of not looking at the time as she took her time getting ready in the mornings. She couldn't help but smirk when she noticed that they had an hour before they even needed to leave the house. At least in her opinion. She stood up from the bed and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress when Luke began to once again tell her how they were going to be late and how that wouldn't reflect well on his character.

"First of all, we have plenty of time we're not going to be late," Lorelai said as she walked over to Luke. She stopped in front of him and placed her hand on the side of his face, "Second of all, Luke, honey, I know you're nervous about today but you know what the lawyer said and your chances today are amazing."

Luke sighed heavily. "Still he said there was a chance that this might not work out in my favor. I might not get joint custody and then who knows, Anna could continue keeping April from me."

"That chance is very, very, very slim. As slim as my chances of ever giving up coffee," Lorelai replied. She let her hand slide from his face and down to his chest where she straightened out his tie. "Now I know the whole grumpy, sometimes negative view on the world is kind of your thing and I get it, it balances us out in a weird way but this isn't something I want you to be negative about." She met his eyes, "I also know that you're not really that grumpy person you claim to be for the town's benefit. Believe me when I say that everything is going to be okay today. Better than okay, great even."

Luke watched her carefully, there was something about the look in her eyes, the way she spoke, and the way she gently squeezed his hand just now, that began to comfort him. He still had his doubts about today, no matter how many times his lawyer assured him that he was confident in the case and getting the verdict Luke wanted and deserved. But he was glad that he had Lorelai, he loved the way she could comfort him and ease his nerves in just a matter of minutes.

Luke squeezed her hand back. "You really think so?"

"Yes I do," Lorelai replied confidently. "Especially since you ended up going with the lawyer that my father suggested. He isn't going to suggest someone that is terrible at their job, the lawyers he knows can be real sharks. Gilmores' don't associate with chumps."

"He made an excellent case when I spoke to him on the phone. The second time at least," Luke replied. "After I spoke to your father."

"You just had to use your connections," Lorelai teased. Since he made the decision to go with the lawyer that Richard picked out, she liked to tease him over the whole 'son-in-law' connection he used since she knew it did take a lot for him to actually accept the favor from her father.

"I had to do what is best for my daughter," Luke corrected. "And this is what is best for April." He paused a moment before asking, "Are you ready to go now?"

Lorelai playfully rolled her eyes then smiled. "Yes," she answered. She began to follow Luke out of their bedroom and down the staircase. "Still don't know why you're insisting on leaving this early though, we have plenty of time until we need to be there."

Once downstairs, Luke stopped by the desk and grabbed his keys from the small bowl that Lorelai bought recently and insisted it needed to be used for keys even though she never left her keys there. "I just want to make sure I can find a parking spot."

"Ooh do I sense a rant about parking coming on?" Lorelai enthused. She tugged on the sleeve of his suit jacket as she followed him out the door and to his truck. "Come on Luke, I know you have a rant in there somewhere. Just a little bit of one at least. Please."

Luke opened up the passenger side door for Lorelai and waited until she was in the truck before he leaned in towards her. "I'll save the rant for the trip there."

* * *

 

"You know if I had to rank all of the rants I've heard through the years, I don't think the rant on parking would make the top five. Definitely the top ten though," Lorelai said decisively while she and Luke navigated the hallways of the courthouse heading towards the courtroom where they were told to meet Luke's lawyer.

Even though Luke ranted about how parking spots could be hard to find, he had no trouble finding a parking spot in a parking garage near the courthouse. Lorelai eagerly listened on, always being one to enjoy his rants unless they were about her eating habits. When those happened to roll around, which seemed less often these days even though he still did chide her about her coffee consumption, she either made a habit of tuning him out or just smiling through it followed by ordering something even more unhealthy once he was finished which he always served her no matter what his opinion was on her eating habits.

"Don't get me wrong," Lorelai continued on. "I did love the rant, it managed to last all the way until you found a parking spot which is pretty impressive. But just not top five material."

Luke looked over at her, "You're ranking them now?"

"If, I said if I have to rank them," Lorelai pointed out. ""earn to listen hon. Doesn't mean that I am but I could possibly do that one day, if I ever get bored enough."

Luke shook his head. "Crazy idea."

"But if I ever do it you want to know where all your rants rank?" Lorelai asked knowingly.

"Yep."

"You got it babe."

As the couple arrived at the room in which Luke's hearing would be held, Luke looked around for any signs of his lawyer, Mr. Harrison, or Anna and her lawyer but when he was met with an empty hallway, he sat down on the bench that Lorelai had already made her home for the time being. She was playing around with her phone and when Luke asked what she was doing, she informed him that Rory had sent her a text just checking in on things as well as wishing him good luck on the hearing today.

"She just cares about you," Lorelai told Luke, "And she's also confident that things will go right with the hearing today because you deserve to be in April's life."

"I care about her too," Luke replied.

Lorelai smiled and then reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers together. "That I'm very well aware of, especially considering everything that you've done for us over the years."

Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he smiled back at her. "Thank you for coming today."

"Of course. Where else would I be today?"

"You do have work, an Inn, remember? Wasn't your mother supposed to come to the Inn today? A DAR meeting there or something?"

"Wasn't really looking for an answer there babe," Lorelai answered. "Besides Michel and Sookie are more than capable of handling the Inn for one day by themselves. As far as my mom goes, when I explained to her the reason I couldn't be at the Inn today to meet with her she was very understanding and also sends along her best wishes. My job today is to be here as your supportive fiancée even if I'm not allowed in the room and have to sit out in the hallway all day."

"I know but you still didn't have to come today. They have the character reference that you wrote so I don't think they'll need you to say or do anything, if you were even called into the room. I could have come by myself today, it really wouldn't be a big deal," Luke replied.

"Try all you want to get me to leave and say that I didn't have to come today but my butt is going to sit on this bench while you're in that room," Lorelai indicated by pointing her finger in the direction of a set of double doors, "fighting for custody of your daughter. Face it, you're stuck with me."

Luke pressed a kiss to her temple. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

The couple fell into a companionable silence as they waited for the arrival of Luke's lawyer and Anna with her lawyer, both of their minds racing with the possibility of a difference outcome than what was desired today. Lorelai did her best to remain calm and keep Luke focused on the positive side of things because she really did believe that his chances today were amazing yet she still knew that something could go wrong and then things could start to fall apart. She had her fair share of everything going along smoothly and then one day slamming headfirst into a brick wall and having everything shattered. Though she supposed that over the course of the past several months she and Luke both had their fair share of everything turning upside down that now maybe the universe was going to right itself by having today work out in their favor. At least that's what she hoped.

Their silence was broken when a court officer stepped out of the room and checked in to see if they were here for the Danes vs. Nardini custody case to which Luke stumbled through trying to give the man an answer before Lorelai stepped in and helped him out. Once the court officer disappeared back into the room, Luke's lawyer walked up to the couple. The lawyer checked in with Luke answering his client's questions on when he should speak along with what he should say and attempted to alleviate all of Luke's worries by insisting that he knew what he was doing and had a firm handle on the case. Before he walked off claiming that he had to take a phone call, he let it be known that he wasn't afraid to play dirty if it came down to that.

"Play dirty?" Luke questioned once his lawyer was out of sight. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well..." Lorelai started off, with a familiar gleam in her eye that Luke knew all too well and told him exactly what her response would be. He cut her off before she suggested something that would not be allowed in a courtroom and definitely wouldn't help his case.

"Not that," Luke said sternly which earned him a playful and not at all real pout from Lorelai. "I understand what he's talking about, I just didn't want this to turn into something ugly. I just wanted to know that I'll be able to see my daughter. I want this to be fair."

"I know hon," Lorelai assured him. "I'm sure, he'll only play dirty if Anna's lawyer decides to play dirty. Which I know you may not like, it might not be good but it could help you. But in my opinion, I think a judge would seriously question why a mother kept a child from her father for twelve years without any real excuse. To me, her excuse is flimsy at best. For me and Christopher, the door was always open. It was his choice."

Luke sighed heavily. "I know. I'm still worried about today."

"I get it, but Luke you're a great guy," Lorelai spoke softly to him. "The best. Anna might have thought that you weren't good with kids or didn't like them but that's not who you are. With how you're fighting this, any judge could see that you deserve to be around your daughter. No one is going to take that away from you. Trust me."

"I do."

It was at that moment that the faint ding of an elevator could be heard from down the hall. Luke turned his attention that way just in time to see April step out of the elevator in front of her mother who was followed by another lady who he assumed to be Anna's lawyer. While Luke watched them slowly approach, Lorelai watched how Luke actually started to light up, words that were rarely used to describe the man, as April made her way down the hall. She felt as if she could actually see a weight being lifted off his shoulders when his smile grew tenfold as April practically barreled into him to give him a hug and tell him how she missed him recently.

"I missed you too," Luke replied, still holding his daughter in a hug. His lawyer told him that April may be at the hearing today in order to speak with the judge at some point so the verdict was fair, in regards to the parent's wishes as well as the child's. With another tight squeeze, he let April go and gave a curt nod to the girl's mother, "Hello Anna."

"Hello Luke," Anna replied. She cut her eyes over to the woman beside Luke. "Lorelai."

Lorelai smiled politely. "Hi Anna." She moved her gaze from Anna since she could practically feel her eyes boring into her. She gently nudged April on the shoulder and smiled, "Hey kid, missed seeing you around."

"Hopefully, after today, I can come back to Stars Hollow soon," April replied, looking first at Lorelai then at her father.

Luke nodded. "I hope so too kid."

Anna cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Are we early? Can we go in yet?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure," Luke stumbled over his words. He glanced back at the closed double doors, "They might be behind."

No one really knew what to say at the moment so they remained silent. Anna had plenty she wanted to say to Luke, about how she didn't feel like he had a chance, how April hadn't talked much to her since she found out about everything, how she could blame all of this on Luke since he ignored her wishes when it came to her daughter, but she chose to not say anything. She didn't want to say anything in front of her daughter. She could let Luke have a piece of her mind later is she still felt like it.

A few minutes later, Luke's lawyer reappeared and after exchanging pleasantries with Anna's lawyer, they were all escorted into the courtroom, including Lorelai. Just a few minutes earlier she wasn't sure if she was going to be allowed into the room but when she lingered outside the courtroom while everyone else went in, she was informed that since she was Luke's fiancée she was allowed in the courtroom, at least to watch. Since they already had a reference letter from her, they wouldn't need her to speak on Luke's behalf so she was to remain quiet during the hearing.

* * *

 

An hour later and Lorelai was sure that her bottom lip was going to have a sore on it from the amount of biting down on it she was doing to prevent herself from speaking out every time Anna's lawyer made a derogatory comment towards Luke and the life that he led. She figured an outburst from her would not help Luke's case at all so she knew that she had to remain quiet. Luckily for her, for every derogatory comment that Anna's lawyer pinned on Luke, Luke's lawyer had a defense statement prepared. She only wished that she could sit beside Luke to hold his hand and comfort him, especially when she saw him getting frustrated and speaking out of turn which his lawyer quickly shut down. Yet she, as well as April, was directed to behind the proceedings as they carried on.

Lorelai looked down a couple seats from her where April sat intently watching the proceedings going on before her. She could tell that the young girl was getting frustrated as well, especially when it came to hearing her own mother try and keep her from her father. Lorelai hated that April had to sit and watch this but she remembered that Luke had told her April would probably be here today and might even talk to the judge so she figured it was only fair that the girl sat in on the proceedings. When the young girl looked up at her, she smiled and earned a smile back before April quickly and quietly moved to sit in the chair right beside Lorelai.

April spoke in a hushed whisper to Lorelai. "Do you think that my dad will win today?" she asked. "Does he have a chance? I did research and read that the judge tends to side with the mom. I want to be able to visit him."

Lorelai looked up to see if anyone had heard April but they were all too busy arguing over why Luke would be a capable guardian, which she had plenty to say in defense of him but again she reminded herself that an outburst wouldn't be the best thing. Instead she ducked her head and lowered her voice to reply to April.

"I wouldn't worry about it sweetie. With you and this case, it's different than most. Your dad will do whatever it takes in order to fight for you, he always stands behind those that he loves. I know that he has a great chance today."

April smiled and gave a slight nod of her head, "Okay."

Lorelai watched as the young girl unfolded the few sheets of paper and began to study them attentively. She tried to sneak a peek to see what April was reading but with the way she had the papers tilted towards her, Lorelai couldn't make out exactly what the papers said. When trying to figure out what April was reading was deemed hopeless, Lorelai turned back to the proceedings where Anna, alongside her lawyer, were stating their case for why she should be granted sole custody where she would allow some visitation from Luke but visitation that was clearly limited and no where near the amount of time that Luke should be allowed to spend with his daughter. She sensed that Luke was growing more frustrated by the minute and hoped that he wouldn't speak out of turn again since his lawyer warned him a couple time not to but that hope was lost when Luke stood up from the table he was sitting at and began to speak.

"No, no, no, I don't agree. I don't want the limited visitation that you're trying to offer," Luke spoke up. "We both know that's not right, or what's best for April."

"You barely know her," Anna's lawyer, Barbara contested. "You have no idea what is best for April."

"Because I wasn't allowed to even know that I had a daughter for twelve years," Luke argued, his gaze cutting to Anna before he continued on. "I just found out that I had a daughter and I'm trying my best here. I'm trying to get to know her, to have her in the life I have in Stars Hollow. But that chance is being taken from me."

The judge tried to interrupt Luke and get him to sit back down so they could carry on but Luke ignored her and continued on with what he had to say.

"I know that I've made a few mistakes and my previous marriage only lasted a few months and I haven't known April for that long but I do know what is best for her," Luke continued on. "I know that she deserves to spend as much time with her father as she deserves not a father that just pops in whenever he chooses to do so. I've seen that and I've seen the disappointed child that comes along with that father. I do not want to be that father."

This time around Luke's lawyer, Mr. Harrison, as well as the judge tried to get him to sit back down at the table and shut up but again he ignored them both to say what was on his mind.

"I'm her dad," Luke stated, his voice going softer than it was just seconds ago. Lorelai swore that she could hear a crack in his voice as he spoke. "I know what she likes and dislikes. I want to be with her and spend more than just a few hours at a time with her. I know that I will be a good dad."

"Mr. Danes, be quiet," the judge spoke harshly finally getting him to be quiet.

Luke nodded his head and shyly sat back down as he apologized to the judge and then to his lawyer. While his lawyer shuffled papers around and mumbled something under his breath, probably trying to figure out a way to combat Luke's little outburst where he ignored the judge twice, Luke looked over his shoulder at Lorelai who sent him a faint smile and thumbs up in return which he figured was her way of trying to encourage him without saying anything. He gave her a small but weary smile back then turned back around as the judge began to speak again.

* * *

 

A little while later, Lorelai re-entered the court room having stepped out when her cellphone, that she forgot to turn off, suddenly went off with a phone call from her mother. She apologized to everyone in the courtroom before exiting as fast as she could, to save herself from embarrassment as well as so she didn't have to listen to what Anna's concerns were where it involved Luke and the exact visitation rights she wanted in her sole custody agreement. She tried to see from Anna's point of view and for a while she could but today, she could no longer listen to the woman talk of why Luke wouldn't be a capable guardian as if she even knew him and the person he was now.

On the phone call, Lorelai was slightly surprised that her mother was just genuinely checking in to see how the hearing went and if they knew what the judge's verdict was yet. Lorelai spoke to her for a just a few minutes since she didn't want to be out of the courtroom that long and assured her mother that she would call once she knew the outcome of the case. Before she hung up, she thanked her mother for calling just to check in and told her that it meant a lot to her and it would mean a lot to Luke as well.

When she re-entered the room, Luke and his lawyer had just finished pleading his case as to what he wanted versus what Anna wanted. Lorelai knew what he wanted by heart since he discussed it with her several times prior to today. She knew that he wanted to spend more time with April than just a few hours and even had a well thought out plan in which April could even spend a week or two in Stars Hollow at a time if he was allowed to ask for that. She helped him with the plan that involved April staying in Rory's room and her transportation to and from school since it wasn't that far of a trip to make everyday. Lorelai thought it was a great plan since it would allow Luke an opportunity to get to know his daughter even more and it would also allow all three of them to spend time together as a family.

The judge nodded her head as Luke's lawyer finished pleading his client's case. "Alright now that I've had the opportunity to hear from both sides in this case, I'm going to read some personal references into the court record. The first letter is written on behalf of Mr. Danes by a miss Lorelai Gilmore."

As the judge began to read her letter, Lorelai looked down at her lap and silently mouthed along with her written words on behalf of Luke. Though at first she struggled with writing her character reference, she now had every line and every word committed to her memory and wondered why it took so long to write a reference for the man that she loved. A pretty stellar reference in her opinion. A reference that clearly encapsulated who Luke was and what he stood for and why he should be allowed the opportunity to be in his daughter's life.

When she felt eyes on her, she looked up to find the very subject of the character reference staring at her with a look that clearly displayed the love that he felt for her. A look that made her glad she was sitting down because it made her weak in the knees, as cliché as that might have sounded. She wondered why one look from Luke could still affect her like that but she hoped it never changed. She smiled back and mouthed an 'I love you,' which earned her the same response for Luke before he was prompted by his lawyer to turn around just as the judge finished reading her reference.

The judge surprised everyone in the room, especially Lorelai and Luke, when she announced that she had one other character reference to read. One that came from a Rory Gilmore. Lorelai had told Rory that she was writing character reference and even jokingly suggested that Rory write it for her but she had no idea that her daughter wrote her own reference for Luke. She made a quick mental note to ask her daughter about that later. For now, she remained quiet as she listened to her daughter's words.

" _To Whom it may Concern:_

_April Nardini and I are one in the same person. We are both intelligent and high-achieving young woman who were both raised by a single mother who showed us that having a father constantly in your life is not necessary for one's growth. Our mothers also showed us that single woman can raise a successful young woman all on her own merits._

_I had the honor of Luke Danes entering my life as a pre-teen and that is something that I will forever be grateful for. I can personally attest to how meeting Luke at such a young age and coming to know him as a father figure early on in my life, helped to shape me into the person I am today. April hasn't known her father for very long, barely a year, but to have that ripped away now would be devastating to her at this vulnerable age._

_Unlike April though, I was encouraged to have a relationship with my father. Like April, I sought him out but unlike April, I was met with disappointment where she was met with a man who wanted to get to know her in any way possible. Growing up, my father showed me ways that men can fail; how they can be selfish and unreliable. Luke Danes always showed me the opposite of that; how men can be reliable, loyal, and caring._

_I love my dad and he's tried a little harder to be an active part of my life as I grew up but when I think of the man who was there for the most important moments of my life, and some of the least important but still memorable to me, I can only think of Luke Danes. For a court of law to take away the rights of a man who is fully dedicated to his daughter would be a huge misstep._

_Thank you for your time,_

_Rory Gilmore."_

Lorelai wiped at the tear that rolled down her face as the judge read off her daughter's name and set the letter aside. When Luke glanced back at her and sent her a questioning look, she could only smile and shrug her shoulders since she knew nothing about the letter. She was definitely going to buy Rory something nice for writing such a glowing and somehow kept-a-secret character reference for Luke.

The judge tucked both of the character references away before she cleared her throat and addressed the group in front of her. "Now I would like to take the time to speak with Ms. Nardini, the daughter," she pointed out to make it clear who she wanted to speak to. "If you would all please exit the room for a few moments."

The group did as asked, Lorelai quickly jumped up to stay by Luke's side as they exited the room. She smiled at him when she felt him grab her hand and intertwine their fingers as they made their way out into the hallway. He surprised her by not stopping once they reached the bench that they sat upon earlier and instead continued a little ways down the hallway away from everyone else.

"What's going on?" Lorelai asked when they came to a stop.

"Did you know Rory wrote a letter?" Luke asked right off the bat. "I didn't ask her to write one."

Lorelai shook her head, "No I didn't. She knew that I had to write one so I guess she just decided that maybe she should try to write one too. I'm surprised your lawyer didn't mention it to you."

"Maybe he thought I knew," Luke replied. He paused for a moment. "She didn't have to right one though."

"Well you heard what she wrote, she obviously loves you." Lorelai smiled. "She's a pretty great kid."

"That she is," Luke agreed. "We are taking her out to dinner or something for writing that reference. She deserves it."

"Can't disagree with that. I'll call her tonight."

Luke reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face before his face cupped the side of her face. "And your reference…"

Lorelai beamed. "I meant every word."

Luke felt that he didn't need to say anything but still whispered a 'thank you,' as he wrapped his arms around Lorelai and pulled her into tight hug that he needed for comfort after a couple hours in the courtroom where, at the beginning, he thought everything was going straight to hell. He began to smile as she whispered words of encouragement back to him as they continued to hug.

* * *

 

Back in the courtroom, April sat now where her mother had previously sat while the judge set directly across from her. It had been silent for a few moments while the judge read over the questions she wanted to ask April. That gave April the time to hid the notes she so meticulously took since she thought it would be better to speak from the heart instead of reading from her notes. The notes were still guideline for her though.

"Now I'm going to start off by saying that I will not base my verdict solely on what you tell me, I do have other factors to consider," the judge started off. "But I will consider what is said in this room today. I want you to feel free to talk to me, to not be frightened just because I'm a judge. Whatever you say in this room stays between us, okay?"

April nodded her head in response. "Okay."

"You've only known your father for short time, correct?" The judge asked but barreled through another question before April could answer. "You found out about your father through a project you did for your science fair, am I correct?"

April nodded her head again. "You are correct on both of those. I thought it would be a political hit since it seems that's what science fairs are for these days but I didn't win, environmentalism won."

"Is that the only reason you did this? Find out who your father was to win a science fair?"

April sighed, careful not to say the wrong thing since she knew it could possibly sway the judge's verdict. "Growing up, my father wasn't mentioned much if ever. In fact, I had to do my own research for this because my mother gave me so little information on my father. I never gave it much thought, I just thought I had my mother and that was enough. But then I did the science fair and I met Luke. From the beginning, he wanted to be an active part in my life. It took me a little while though because I had someone that I never knew before that suddenly wanted to be a part of my life. Now that I got the chance to know my dad, I know what I missed all those years and wish that I could have known sooner because I know that he would have been there for me from whenever he found out about me if he had that opportunity."

April realized she had started to ramble in front of the judge so she chose a stopping point and simply smiled at the judge as she started to quiet down. She had prepared for this and even spoke to a lawyer again to get even more tips on what to say, though she was really told to just say how she truly felt. She was just a kid so it shouldn't feel rehearsed, her answers should be flow naturally.

The judge gave a nod of her head. "Okay. In the time that you have known Luke and spent time with him, have you enjoyed that time?"

"Very much so," April said eagerly. "The town he lives in is so interesting, I love spending the afternoons there. He and Lorelai threw the best birthday party for me this year. I loved it and so did all of my friends. I know that he seems like kind of a grump on the outside but he's not at all like that. He's a total Hagrid. My friends agree."

"Hagrid?" The judge questioned. "As in "Harry Potter" Hagrid?"

"The one and only, those are some of my favorite books," April replied. "And the Hagrid description fits. Tall, looks like he could be grumpy, but very loveable and great guy. Really it's a compliment although Dad had no idea what it meant. It had to be explained to him."

"I'm familiar with Hagrid." The judge jotted down a few notes before she spoke again. She didn't have many questions that she wanted to ask the young girl and the questions she did have, they already covered. She really was just here to find out what April was interested in and to see if April was capable of making a decision such as this.

She set down the pen in her hand and folded her hands down in front of her. "What do you think of all of this that happened today? Would you be more interested in what your mother wants or what your father wants?"

April took a deep breath. "Personally I don't agree with what my mom wants. I was upset when I found out that she was doing this but when I called my dad about it, he assured me that he was going to fight it. I was glad that he was, I didn't doubt that he would just let her do this because I knew that we had already bonded as dad and daughter. I was barely getting to know him and then this happens. I know he wasn't there for the beginning of my life but he didn't have the chance to be. I want the opportunity to spend time with my dad."

When April paused, the judge took the moment to ask, "Anything else you want to say?"

"Yes." April nodded. "I know that I could spend time with my dad with what my mom wants but that wouldn't be that much time. I like the idea that my dad had, if that's possible. I would like to be able to spend that amount of time with him, instead of dividing the time I spent with him between homework and trying to get back home. I know it might be hard for my mom but I think she would come around to the idea, he's my father and I deserve to get to know him. This summer really upset me because I was supposed to spend time with him but couldn't. I don't want to do that again. I would really like the opportunity to spend more time with my dad."

"I understand."

April spoke again while the judge jotted even more notes down."I know he can come across grumpy but that's not at all who he is, he's kind of like a giant teddy bear. He really does care about everyone around him. He really wants to be a part of my life, just as much as I want him to be a part of my life. Sometimes he can be overprotective but he's a parent, he can't help it."

The judge stopped writing down notes and closed the book in front of her. "I understand." She smiled at the young girl. "I think I've heard enough today. You can go outside and join your parents, I'll be just a moment."

April silently got up and left the room. Once she exited the double doors, she was instantly met by her mother who asked how everything went inside. Just a few seconds later, Luke moved to stand beside Anna also asking April similar questions about her talk with the judge. Once April answered his questions and Anna's questions, he went back to stand beside Lorelai and the lawyer that represented him during the hearing today.

"So what now?" Lorelai asked, looking at both the men. "Do we get the verdict today or should we leave now or wait or what?"

Luke's lawyer, Mr. Harrison, went to answer her question but as soon as he opened his mouth, the double doors opened up once again and out stepped the judge who motioned for the two lawyers to join her. "Just give me a minute."

The couple watched as the judge spoke in hushed whispers with the two lawyers. Lorelai tried to read their lips but that was a skill that she still needed to work on since she couldn't make out anything they were saying. When Mr. Harrison turned around, she tried to read his expression but found that she couldn't make out whether he was going to deliver good news or bad news.

"Good news or bad news?" Lorelai asked before Luke could even think to form a sentence once they were once again approached by his lawyer.

"Neither at this point," Mr. Harrison informed the couple. He went on to explain. "She wants to review the facts of the case again and I will know her verdict by tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Luke asked.

"Correct. Tomorrow, I will call the moment I know something," Mr. Harrison replied. "Don't worry, I think you'll be happy with the verdict."

He gave Luke a pat on the shoulder before he breezed past the couple and walked down the hallway towards the elevator. Just seconds after his lawyer disappeared, Luke saw that Anna and her lawyer were about to leave as well. Before they left though, April once again made her way back over to her father and gave him a hug before she joined her mother and started to make their way back towards the elevator.

"So tomorrow," Lorelai sighed, already knowing that Luke was going to be a nervous mess until he was called and informed of the judge's verdict.

"Yeah, tomorrow."

"I'm sure it will be fine hon," Lorelai replied softly. She looped her arm with his. "Let's go home."


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, Lorelai padded down the stairs in her bedroom slippers. Despite her choice in footwear, she was all dressed and ready to head over to the inn seeing as she couldn't take another day off since she missed the day before. In her hand, she carried the heels that she so carefully picked out to match her outfit, opting to put them on right before she left the house. She headed into the kitchen where Luke was busy cooking breakfast while simultaneously keeping one eye on his cell-phone that was conveniently placed next to the stove.

Lorelai set her shoes down in one of the chairs at the table, knowing that Luke would say something if she dared set them on the tabletop. She crossed the kitchen to where Luke was busy switching his attention to different pans as he cooked her breakfast. She leaned her hip into the counter. She already knew the answer but she still had to ask.

"Have you heard anything."

"Not yet."

"It's still early, you'll hear something soon," Lorelai assured him. When she saw her opportunity, which was him turning his head in her direction, she leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Good morning."

Luke replied with a small smile, "Good morning."

Lorelai bent down and ruffled Paul Anka's fur as she said her 'good morning' to him before she straightened back up and started to fix herself a cup of coffee. Just as she was about to take a sip, an unpleasant smell drifted her way. She quickly sniffed the coffee to make sure that it wasn't a bad batch or that Luke didn't switch it out for decaf, as he had been threatening to do, but she soon realized it wasn't the coffee but Luke's cooking. She glanced over at the stove-top where not only a pan of scrambled eggs was beginning to burn but the bacon as well.

"Luke, hon," Lorelai called to get his attention. "You're burning the food."

"Ah damn it!"

Luke switched the burners off and snatched the pans away, moving to scrape the burnt and inedible remnants of what was supposed to be breakfast in the trash before he dropped them into the sink with a ceremonious bang. He braced his arms on the counter, taking a moment before he moved to the refrigerator declaring that he would start over and it wouldn't be long before her breakfast would be done.

Lorelai shook her head as she took the carton of eggs from him and placed them back in the refrigerator. "Don't worry about it."

She knew he was nervous over the verdict and would continue to be until his phone rang and it was his lawyer on the other end. If there was anything that took the brunt of Luke's emotions, it was definitely his mood. When he was angry or upset and now she could add nervous to that list, his food was typically burnt, orders were often wrong, and most of the time the food was inedible to most. Kirk being the exception. When he was happy or in a more pleasant mood than usual, his food definitely saw some improvements. His pancakes were as fluffy as clouds, extra spices were added to the burgers, and sometimes food was even on the house for certain customers.

"You sure?" Luke asked. "I can make you a non-burnt breakfast. Anything you want. You name it and I can cook it."

"Hon, we both know you're an emotional cook. I'll sit this one out, save us both the time," Lorelai replied, adding a teasing lilt to her voice. "Besides Sookie is getting a little upset that I haven't had her breakfast in a while, so the least I can do is let her cook for me. Honestly it's what is best for everyone."

"In other words, you're doing Sookie a favor by letting her cook for you."

"Exactly. She loves it, you can ask her yourself."

"I'll pass."

While Lorelai grabbed her coffee, the newspaper, and what she called a pre-breakfast snack that embodied itself in a pop-tart, Luke busied himself with the cleaning of dishes that still held traces of the burnt breakfast. He tried, and failed, to keep his mind off the important phone call that he was supposed to receive this morning. After a night of restless sleep, he woke up earlier than he usually did on a day where he didn't have to open the diner. As the minutes ticked slowly by, agonizingly slow, he began to grow more anxious over the verdict. Even though Lorelai reassured him plenty of times the night before that everything was going to work out, that didn't stop him from thinking of the worst case scenario.

Lorelai looked over the brim of her newspaper to see Luke cautiously watching his cell-phone but trying to act like he wasn't by busying himself with other things, like cleaning out the refrigerator which only held food that Luke bought from Doose's and only one take-out container. It was a trend she noticed happening more and more ever since she and Luke repaired the damage to their relationship and spent every night at the house, the apartment only being used for storage and their little way to escape from the craziness of the town during the middle of the day. She smirked when she noticed that Paul Anka seemed to have taken notice of Luke's actions and was even trying to mimic him since he kept watching the counter where Luke's cell-phone rested.

"You know what they say, a watched phone never rings," Lorelai spoke up.

"It's a watched pot never boils," Luke corrected her.

Lorelai gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, "Same thing."

Luke finally joined her at the table, clearing his chair of her shoes and handing them to her before he sat down. He crossed his arms on the table. "I want to make sure that I answer the phone when he calls. I don't want to miss this call. It's very important."

Lorelai reached across the table and gave his forearm a sympathetic squeeze. "I know hon." She pulled her hand away and began to slip her heels onto her now slipper-less feet. "Which is why I wish I could stay here with you until you receive the news but I really have to get to the Inn for our meeting. Can't let Michel run it again, he tried to fire three people last time. Three essential people."

"I understand." Luke stood up when she did and pulled her close for a goodbye kiss. "I'll call you when I hear something."

"You better." Lorelai reached down on the table for her coffee cup, finished the last sip of coffee, and handed the cup to Luke who was waiting on it. "Oh I forget to tell you. Rory texted me this morning and said that she can join us for dinner tonight to celebrate the news that you're going to get." When she noticed that it seemed like he was about to refute her claims, she added on, "The news that is going to be good and worthy of celebrating."

Luke didn't feel like wasting his breath to tell Lorelai that she couldn't see the future so she couldn't say for certain that the news was going to be good. They had that discussion the night before and Lorelai tried to prove her psychic powers. Instead he offered a suggestion.

"I'll call Maisy and let her know we're coming tonight."

"Sniffy's," Lorelai said, a fond smile appeared on her face. "Haven't been there in a while. Rory will like it."

"I'm sure she will."

With a few trips back and forth from the kitchen to the living room and even a trip upstairs in search of her keys, Lorelai was out the door and headed to the inn but not before calling over her shoulder to Luke to remind him to call her as soon as he heard any news. With Lorelai now gone and the house silent except for the sound of Paul Anka's paws pacing around on the floor, Luke came to the realization that he needed to do something to get his mind off the fact that the morning was slowly drifting away and his lawyer still hadn't called with any news. He couldn't just sit in the silence. If he did, his mind would wander and that was never a good thing. He could clean. That would keep him busy. It didn't matter that he spent a majority of the day before cleaning after they returned home from the courthouse. It's not like the house could ever be too clean.

* * *

 

Lorelai picked at the pastry that Sookie had given her on her third trip to the kitchen that morning where she claimed to just be checking in to see if everything was running smoothly. She had no idea what the pastry was, she zoned out when Sookie explained it to her, but she did know that it wasn't so much about a taste test just about getting her to sit still and focus on something else for more than a few minutes. She tore strips of flaky crust from the pastry, some stuck together with some kind of fruity filling. A few pieces made it into her mouth and she had to admit that Sookie really outdid herself this time and it would definitely be something that they added to their menu but still her focus wasn't completely there.

She made it to the Dragonfly just in time to stop Michel from leading the meeting, which he was all prepped and ready to do in case she played hooky another day. The meeting was over rather quickly, just a quick run through of policy and procedures followed by the current events that were being held at the Inn and what still needed to be done for them. Once she concluded the meeting, Sookie fixed her a breakfast that came with a side a questions all relating back to Luke, April, and the custody case. Lorelai answered her friend's questions as best as she could while she ate before she excused herself to go check in at the front desk to see if there were any calls left for her or if there were any missed calls on her cellphone. But, alas, she found nothing.

Which meant she busied herself at the inn; following behind the maids and fixing things that didn't need to be fixed, inserting herself in the middle of the dining staff who only had a few guests to serve, and organizing then reorganizing everything on the front desk much to Michel's annoyance. One hissy fit thrown by Michel later brought on by the reorganizing of his post-it notes, Lorelai tried to find other ways to help only to be shut out by her employees this time so it was back to the kitchen for her where Sookie was eager to try and distract her. Sookie's distractions always came in the form of food.

"Do you not like it?" Sookie asked, noticing that half of the pastry she had given Lorelai now rested on the counter-top in tiny strips surrounded by crumbs. "It's a new recipe."

"Hm, what?" Lorelai asked as she broke out of her daze. She quickly realized what she was asked as Sookie started ranting about how the recipe was new and she was still working out the kinks so if there was something wrong, she needed to know the specifics in order to fix it. "No, Sookie, it's not that. This is great, some of your best work, and if you want to add it to the menu then you have my full approval. I'm just a little distracted."

Sookie breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I mean not good that you're distracted but good that you like the dessert because I worked hard on that recipe. I'm happy." She grabbed a discarded rag from the counter behind her and cleaned the mess her friend and business partner had made. "Still no word from Luke?"

Lorelai shook her head, "Nope." She grabbed her plate, carried it over to the sink and deposited it there before she leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms. "I know that things will work out for him, they have to, but he was supposed to hear something this morning and he still hasn't called. I'm just a little worried."

"Everything well be fine." Sookie replied. "And if not and Luke doesn't get custody and gets to missing April, I'll let you take Davey for a few nights a week. We'll all co-parent him."

"Martha doesn't need co-parenting?"

"Oh no, she's still my sweet baby who will never do anything wrong," Sookie gushed. "Davey, on the other hand, is getting to a bit of a handful these days."

Lorelai had to laugh at her friend's attempt to cheer her up. "I'll think about it."

"Just don't take too long, we already have other offers."

"Right."

Lorelai didn't dare try to busy herself in the kitchen. That would only end badly. Sookie was very specific about how she wanted to run her kitchen and Lorelai was just fine with that, except for days like today where she just wanted something to do to keep her mind from racing. She let out an exasperated sigh and decided that it would be back to the front desk for her once again.

"I going to see if I can annoy Michel even more with his post-it notes. I'm thinking instead of arranging them by prettiest color, I'm going to play a game of hide-n-seek with them. I'll leave him a trail of the sticky notes leading the way to where I hid them. The twist being that the trail would lead to a different color of sticky notes than what I used for the trail."

Sookie giggled, "Report back!"

On her way back to the front desk, Lorelai greeted a few of the guests and asked if there was anything she could do for them. When they replied that they were happy and didn't need anything at the moment, she continued on her original task to annoy Michel. A task that would not only help distract her until Luke called but it would also make her smile. Her mood was lifted and a smirk crossed her face when she noticed that Michel already saw her coming and was standing protectively by the front desk.

"Don't even think about it," Michel warned as Lorelai approached. "I just got everything back in order, I do not need your chaos."

"Chaos?" Lorelai echoed, bringing her hand up to her chest as if she was really hurt by his accusation. "I'm hurt that you think so little of me that you think I would purposely mess up something of yours. I would never even dream of making your life harder."

Michel rolled his eyes. "Every day that you breathe, you make my life harder."

"Oh honey, don't try and flatter me now, I am an engaged woman after all," Lorelai replied with a smile. She narrowed her eyes but still kept a playful tone to her voice. "Instead you might want to use this time to think of new comebacks because I'm pretty sure I've heard that one before."

"Doesn't make it any less true," Michel hissed.

Satisfied that she successfully pissed Michel off for the moment, she turned her attention to the computer. Her eyes skimmed over the current reservations and the reservations for the upcoming weeks and she was thrilled to report that they were almost fully booked. That was typical for this time of year seeing as people liked to travel and experience the fall foliage in Connecticut and well as the one-of-a-kind festivals that their town so proudly held. She was shuttled back to reality when the phone rang; she reached for it, hoping it was Luke with good news, but Michel beat her it and she resumed her activities when it was only a potential guest calling about a reservation. When she was literally bumped out of the way by Michel so he could use the computer, she announced that she was taking her break which Michel answered with a wave of his hand and a sarcastic comment about the amount of work she managed to accomplish this morning and how she truly deserved a break.

"Just remember who signs your paychecks Michel," Lorelai called as she exited the inn. She was stopped when she heard a familiar voice. The voice of a man that she was just about to go find.

"Going somewhere?"

"Only to see you," Lorelai replied. "You see when you didn't call at all this morning with news, I thought you might have received some bad news and you might be somewhere wallowing all by yourself and I didn't want you to wallow alone because that's just pathetic. Luckily for you, I'm an expert wallower, I could help if need be."

"There's no need," Luke acknowledged.

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yeah," Luke answered. "I just got off the phone with my lawyer a few minutes ago. He claimed that he couldn't call early this morning because he just got the call from the judge, apparently she had other situations to deal with this morning and couldn't give out her verdict until she handled those situations. Then there were negotiations or something with another of his cases going on, I don't really know what he said because I wasn't listening that well because I just wanted the news about the verdict…"

"Luke, babe, you're rambling," Lorelai pointed out, intercepting him since he was not getting to the point of his story. "Remember that's my job. Now, your lawyer called and by the rambling and smile on your face, I'm assuming he gave you good news?"

"Good news," Luke confirmed. "Incredible news actually. I won."

"That is incredible!" Lorelai agreed. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. After a few seconds, she pulled back. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"I know but there was still that doubt. You were there, you heard everything Anna had to say about me, you heard all the dirt her lawyer dug up on me."

"None of what Anna said was true though, at least not of the person that you are now," Lorelai assured him. "It doesn't matter what she said now, you won Luke. That's amazing."

"Still I thought I was screwed. I was so worried, you have no idea."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, her voice laced with a playful sarcasm. "I have no idea? Because I think I might have an inkling of an idea. At least a small snippet of an idea seeing as we do live together and I know you were up most of the night worrying over this."

"Okay, so you do know," Luke conceded.

"I do."

Lorelai tugged on Luke's arm until he followed her to side of the porch where two wooden rocking chairs were placed. They each took their own chair with Lorelai positioning hers so she was facing more towards Luke. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed just how relieved Luke looked at the moment, like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. He had been so tense ever since Anna dropped the custody case bomb on him during the summer. But this, today, was the end of those worries for him, he would no longer have to worry about when he could see his daughter or if Anna would do anything to prevent them spending time together. They would have their time together, he would be able to get to know his daughter that was kept from him for twelve years.

"What does all of this mean now?" Lorelai asked. "I mean obviously you won and that's great, but what does this mean? When do you get to see April? Is she going to come stay with us soon?"

"That's what we're looking at, that's what I wanted," Luke answered. "We're going to split the major holidays, my lawyer said something about splitting up weeks so she would stay with us in Stars Hollow for a little while then go back to her mom's house. We still need to work out some details, that's where I was headed but I had to come by and tell you the news first."

"Wow," Lorelai sighed. "That's great. So this is really real, April is actually going to stay at our house. I mean I knew you were going to win, I just didn't know what to expect when you won."

"Apparently the judge was impressed with what April had to say when they spoke and there was something my lawyer said about the judge not understanding Anna's reasoning for keeping April from for twelve years and she wanted April to be able to get to know her father," Luke replied. "It's a big change for us but since April's school isn't too far away and she already loves the town, it's not going to be such a big adjustment for her, at least I don't think it will be."

"Everything will be fine, we'll figure it out."

"I don't know when all of this will start, when we'll start switching off weeks or whatever we're going to do, I still need to talk with my lawyer and hammer out the details but that's what we discussed on the phone." Luke paused for a moment. He looked over at Lorelai, a wide grin plastered onto his face. "I'm just happy that this all worked out."

Lorelai took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Me too."

"Like I said, I still have to talk to my lawyer and that's where I was going after I came by here so I should probably go. I want to get this worked out as soon as possible so I can spend time with April," Luke explained as he began to get up out of his chair.

Lorelai copied his actions. "Yeah, of course, you go get everything worked out. I'll be here working and finding even more ways to annoy Michel."

Luke laughed. "Have fun with that." He reached out for her, pulling her close to him and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I called Maisy, they're expecting us tonight around seven."

"Looking forward to it. Congratulations hon, you really do deserve this."

"Thank you," Luke said sincerely. "For your letter, for putting up with me these past few weeks, for everything."

"Of course, that's what I'm here for." Lorelai leaned in for one more kiss before he had to go. "Now go, get out of here. Stop being sappy."

"I was not being sappy."

"Maybe a little, just a bit of sappy, a sapling if you will."

"I'm going to leave now."

Lorelai smiled, "Good choice."

* * *

 

"What is this place?" Rory asked, she walked alongside her mother who walked alongside Luke as they crossed the parking lot and headed towards the front door the restaurant.

"Sniffy's," Lorelai answered. "Man, I don't know how you managed to get into Yale if you can't even read the sign in front of the restaurant."

"You know what I meant," Rory replied. "This is the place you went on your first date, right?" she asked, answered by a nod from both her mother and Luke. "Aah so this is Luke's Luke's. I feel so honored that I get to come here."

"It's just a restaurant," Luke chimed in.

"Oh no mister, that's where you're wrong, it's not just a restaurant. We have great memories of this place and this place means a lot to you, so not just a restaurant," Lorelai replied. She gasped. "Oh Rory, you have to read the menu. And I don't mean for food because they don't listen to you order anyways..."

"What kind of place is this?" Rory asked curiously, "They don't listen to your order? How do they know what you like?"

"Doesn't matter, you'll like it. They have great food," Lorelai answered. "Anyways like I was saying, you have to read the menu to learn the story of this place. Now be warned, the story could use a little editing but still you should read the story. It has everything, romance, drama, suspense, twist ending."

Luke sighed as he held the door open to allow Lorelai and Rory into the restaurant. "She does not have to read the menu. It's not a requirement. Not that many people read the menu."

"I'm definitely reading the menu now."

Since he made the reservation, Luke didn't wait around for Maisy to appear to be seated. Instead he led Lorelai and Rory back to the table where he and Lorelai had their first date, a table that was always theirs whenever they visited. Just as they were seating themselves, Maisy appeared and questioned Luke as to why he thought he could seat himself and his guests.

"He just doesn't listen to authority," Lorelai answered Maisy's question. She smiled at the older woman. "Nice to see you again Maisy."

"You too Lorelai, it's been a while, though this one hear is probably to blame for that," she said as she nudged Luke in the side. "Who's this you brought with you?"

"This is my daughter, Rory," Lorelai answered, she draped her arm over Rory's shoulder. "Luke's future stepdaughter."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Rory greeted.

"Nice to meet you too," Maisy replied.

After being introduced to Rory, Maisy went and pulled Buddy from the kitchen to introduce him to Rory as well as give Luke the opportunity to share his latest news with both of them. It was decided that champagne was needed to celebrate the news, despite Luke's hatred of the drink. But as the champagne was served, Maisy also brought a beer to the table for Luke and briefly discussed what she was going to bring them for dinner before she disappeared again.

"Why did you insist that I read that?" Rory exclaimed when she finished reading the back of the menu. "That doesn't have everything, there's no happy ending!"

"It's the experience of this place, I wanted to share it with you," Lorelai defended her actions. "You come here for dinner, you read the back of the menu. It's tradition."

"Not that many people read the back of the menu," Luke said. "Sniffy was an old dog, he lived a good life."

"That doesn't make me feel that much better," Rory replied.

"I think he's lying about that anyways," Lorelai said, shooting a grin over at Luke. "Given today's news, I think what we should be talking about is the fact that there was another character reference taken into account yesterday. Now why didn't you tell me you wrote a reference sweets?"

Rory shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I didn't plan to write one but I was trying to do homework and thinking about all of this and I realized that I had something to say. It was last minute really. I just wanted to help."

"You did help, you helped a lot," Luke acknowledged. "My lawyer even said that your letter, both of the letters, did help to make a difference. Thank you."

"Well you're family," Rory replied. "And April's a cool kid, and family too, I guess. Not officially but soon. Anyways, I'm happy to help out."

"Very nice," Lorelai teased. She lifted her glass of champagne as Rory did with hers and Luke lifted his beer bottle. "Here's to you," she said directing her comment at Luke.

No other words were exchanged as they clinked their glasses and bottle together before they each took a sip. As Luke set his bottle back down, he made a comment about just how weird it as to see Rory drinking even though he knew that she was technically of the legal drinking age.

"I know, it's weird," Lorelai agreed. "But if you think that's weird, I won't tell you about the times she drank before she was legally able to do so. We won't worry you with that. You can still think of her as the little girl who conned you into going to a caterpillar's funeral."

"Well she had the Rory face," Luke explained.

Rory nodded her head, "It's a very good face."

"Indeed." Lorelai leaned closer to Luke. "And here you were worried that you might not make a good dad. You've already proven that you are, in a way."

"That's why I had to write the character reference," Rory chimed in.

"Well thank you again," Luke said to which Lorelai cleared her throat prompting Luke to add on, "Both of you, thank you."

Lorelai smiled, "Better."


	17. Chapter 17

Lorelai walked into Rory's room to find that once again Paul Anka had taken to the room, using the bed as his bed since he was inexplicably scared of the doggie bed that was purchased for him months ago. She ruffled his hair before setting the empty cardboard box down in the free space next to her dog. He gave a quick sniff of the box before deciding that it wasn't a threat to him, not like peas were, and squished around until he was back comfortable on the bed that reminded him of someone familiar that didn't come around too much.

"You know," Lorelai said speaking to the dog who didn't seem to know that she was talking to him, "You're going to have to give up this room too. Soon we'll have someone else staying here and she'll need this room. I don't think she'll like sleeping with a dog." When Paul Anka finally looked up at her, "I'm serious. You're going to have to learn to share with April, she's your sister too."

Lorelai jumped when she was startled by a voice directly behind her.

"Talking to the dog again?"

Lorelai turned and playfully slapped at the flannel-clad chest that she was met with, the man in said flannel wore a smirk on his face while she wore a pout on hers, though the humor in her eyes gave her away. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Don't sneak up on me like that. I thought you already left for the diner."

"I did," Luke informed her, resting his hands on his head and adjusting his well worn blue baseball cap. "I forgot my hat, had to come back for it."

Lorelai gasped then threw her hand over her mouth for extra effect, "You forgot your hat? Did the world end? Is this the apocalypse? If I look outside will I see fireballs raining down from the sky? You know I thought the end of the world would much more dramatic than this, this is frankly kind of dull," she quipped, not really to Luke's amusement.

"Are you done?"

Lorelai shook her head, a bright teasing grin was plastered on her face. "Did anyone see you? Did they recognize you? Did they think that you have been cloned but they forgot the most vital part of your wardrobe? Did your head feel empty? Did your hair thank you for finally letting it breathe?"

"If you have anymore, I'll find you a picture of me so you can continue this conversation. I really do have to get to the diner."

"No, no, there's no more, I'm done," Lorelai promised, reaching out and grabbing Luke's arm to turn him back towards her when it seemed like he was going to leave the room. "I swear, nothing else. At least for right now. If I think of anything else, I'll make sure to immediately call you and report it all back to you because I know how much you want to know."

"I look forward to it," Luke replied dryly. It was at that time he noticed what he failed to notice upon entering the room, a cardboard box with Rory's name scrawled across it in black marker. His eyes cut back to Lorelai, "What's that for? A Rory box?"

Lorelai nodded her head. "Thought it was time to finally kick her out of the house. Get rid of all her junk. She's old enough. I thought I might turn this into a roller disco or a room where I can finally reenact scenes from Xanadu."

"Might be a little too small for that," Luke observed.

"Well since you're set on ruining all of my ideas, I'll just have to stick to my original plan for this room which was to clear out a few things for April." Her hands went to her hips as she looked around the room taking mental notes of what could be moved out of the room and what should remain in the room. "I mean there's not a whole lot in here considering that Rory has her own place now and only stays here occasionally but I figured that I could move a few things out, give April some room to put whatever she wants, decorate, school stuff, you know just to make her feel at home."

"Are you okay with this?"

Lorelai titled her head slightly to the side, "Okay with what?"

Luke gestured to the room in which they were in. "This."

"Oh my god," Lorelai stressed, "Be more vague."

"I meant..." Luke sighed. "I know we need the room for April because she's staying here but are you okay with dumping Rory's stuff out of here? When April isn't staying with us, Rory might be here but her stuff won't be in the room because you moved it all out."

"Luke, hon, Rory's grown and already moved out of here. She hasn't stayed in this room full-time since she started at Yale and yes, she stayed here some during the summer and some weekends but she also has her own apartment now," Lorelai explained. "Well an apartment with Paris and Doyle. And April's going to need her own space while she's here, I don't want her to feel like she's just a guest here. I want her to feel like this is her home too. Yes, this has always been Rory's room but now it has to be April's room too."

Lorelai moved to sit on the chest at the end of Rory's bed. "And it's not like I'm dumping all of her stuff, it's just being stored away. I couldn't keep this room as a shrine to her forever, I mean I could if I was an old spinster with several cats but even then I might just hand the room over to the cats because I don't really like cats that much. But since I'm not an old spinster and I have you and we're developing into our own little family, this room has other uses. I'm totally okay with this, there's no reason not to be okay with this."

During her speech, Luke had moved to sit next to Lorelai. His hand rested on her knee, he gave it a little squeeze. "I was just checking."

"I know you were."

"You know, I've been thinking about that," Luke replied. He decided to elaborate when he noticed that Lorelai looked confused. "How to make April feel more at home here, with this room, make her feel like this is her own space, you know what I'm talking about."

"Right. So what's going on in that pretty, little, hardly ever hat-less head of yours?"

"Well I thought about going shopping, buy her some stuff for this room, new stuff, some pillows, a lamp or something, I don't know," Luke kind of drifted off but quickly picked back up again. "But then I remembered the birthday present incident and how you saved that so I decided that I should wait until April is actually here so she can get her own stuff if she wants it."

Lorelai couldn't help but smile at the man next to her, "Now who says you can't be smart and hot because you are clearly proving those people wrong. You're learning."

"I've had some help."

"Good help?"

"Great help."

Lorelai arched an eyebrow, "Only great help?" she inquired. "Not fantastic, amazing, best help you've ever had in your life?"

Luke's lips twitched with the beginning of a smirk. "Dirty."

"Hey," Lorelai nudged him, "That's my line."

Luke smiled at her before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "I should get back to the diner now."

"Yes you should," Lorelai said as Luke stood up and pulled her up to a standing position. "Because if you don't get there soon then people might freak out and think that your hat-less clone has kidnapped you in an attempt to take over your life where he would enjoy all the same things, just without the backwards baseball cap."

Luke pressed another kiss to her lips, lingering just a bit long than he did just moments ago. "I'll see you later tonight."

"Remember we have dinner with my parents tonight," Lorelai called after Luke as he left the room.

When she heard confirmation from him that he did remember and that he would be home in time to go to Friday Night dinner, she stood up and began to move around the room. Occasionally she would pick up a few items and dump them onto the mattress instead of in the cardboard box. Most were just little trinkets that Rory picked up on school field trips and small items bought for cheap to liven up her room when they first moved into the house and her budget was scarce. Nothing major, nothing that Rory would terribly miss if it was all packed up and stored in a box, which is exactly where she intended it to go. None of it would really be a problem to clear out of the room in anticipation of April's visit. The only problem she thought she might run into was the case of the clothes left behind by Rory, some she knew were left her on weekend visits and wasn't sure if Rory needed them right away but she also suspected that some of the clothes in her daughter's room were actually hers that were borrowed and never returned. In that case, they would once again find their rightful home in her closet upstairs. And if some of Rory's left behind clothes ended up there and Rory noticed then she would just say that she was simply saving the clothes from a life of sadness by never being worn.

After Luke talked with his lawyer to better understand the details surrounding his custody arrangement, he had to sit down with Anna and fine-tune the details involving April so they could get the ball rolling on their plan for custody. Surprisingly his talk with Anna went smoothly. Or smoother than Luke or Lorelai expected given everything she had thrown their way over the past few months. With the judge's orders in place for custody, which is the sole reason that Lorelai thought Anna was being as compliant as she was, it was easier to decide when to split up weeks between the two parents. Ultimately, after talks with both their lawyers and one another, it was decided that their time with April would be split up so she would spend up to two weeks with her father before going back to her mother. The biggest struggle came when it was time to split up the major holidays. Anna was a bit unrelenting then since she couldn't bear the thought of being away from April on certain holidays but after negotiations and arguments from Luke that he didn't even know his daughter for twelve years so he wasn't able to spend any holidays with her, a settlement was finally reached in which holidays were evenly split between the two parents.

The custody arrangement would officially start on Sunday with Anna dropping April off to spend two weeks with her father and Lorelai in Stars Hollow. Lorelai planned on having the room prepped and ready for April by that point. She only needed to clear a few things out and wash the linens and bedspread so they were fresh and clean and smelling less like dog as they currently did. For now, she would take over the clearing out of the room and leave the laundry for Luke to do, he was better at it anyways. At least that's what she liked to tell him when she wanted to avoid the inevitable laundry duty.

Lorelai carefully packed the few trinkets that she dumped on the bed earlier into the cardboard box and then set it aside. She made a few more trips around the room, clearing space off the desk, nightstand, and dresser in the room so April wouldn't feel crowded in the room by the amount of stuff that was still in there, and carefully packed it away into the box as well. She decided to leave the books on the shelves that Rory left behind in case April wanted to read one night, she still wasn't too sure of all of her interests and hobbies. Once she decided that enough stuff was cleared away for now, she decided to tackle the issue of clearing out the dresser drawers and wardrobe already deciding where to throw the clothes that she wanted to sneak back up to her room, where to throw the ones that would remain in the room, and where to throw the ones that were up to Rory to decide what to do with.

* * *

"Well I guess since Rory is busy tonight, that it's just us," Emily said taking her seat only after fixing and handing out the drinks for her company. Martini for Lorelai, beer for Luke which she assured him was now kept on hand as she intended to see him at a few more Friday Night dinners.

"Mhm," Lorelai nodded along while taking a sip from her glass. "Where's Dad tonight?"

"He's in his study on a call," Emily informed the couple. "He knows that dinner is to be served at seven, I'm sure he'll join us in a minute." She sipped on her martini before directing her attention to Luke. "We haven't seen you at dinner in a while Luke."

Despite Lorelai's re-entrance to Friday Night dinners a couple of weeks ago, the dinners restarting once summer ended, Luke had not attended alongside her. He had not attended many before that for different reasons, some which Lorelai didn't want to dwell on now, but now that things were better for them they hadn't discussed Friday Night dinners and Luke's role in them. Tonight just happened to be a night where Luke tagged along with Lorelai.

Back before the revelation that her parents were thinking of buying them a house as a wedding present, which she saw as their way of showing they actually support her decision to marry Luke, she didn't like to subject Luke to that many dinners seeing as snide comments were more abundant than usual. But now with the new, somewhat improved albeit strange relationship she had forged with her mother and the willingness to incorporate Luke into the family through offering help and the idea of an extravagant wedding present, Lorelai wasn't sure how Friday Night dinners would factor into their lives.

"Yeah, well, I do have the diner, I like to give the other workers Friday night off usually because they have plans and I don't mind closing," Luke tried to explain his absence but ultimately turned to Lorelai for guidance.

"Mom he owns a business, he can't be at every dinner. I'm not even at every single dinner we have," Lorelai had wanted to say more but was interrupted by Emily who decided to speak and make her opinion known.

"I understand but these dinners are a weekly thing, have been for years. They are something that you know about every week. What I'm saying is that you two are engaged, when you do get married Luke will be family and these dinners are for family," Emily explained to the couple that sat in front of her. "I know some dinners cannot be made because of work-related reasons or such but I would like to see both you and Luke here."

Lorelai patted Luke's knee for reassurance, "We'll see Mom."

The maid, which Lorelai noted had lasted more than a week under the reign of Emily and didn't seem to cower of the sight of the lady in mention, entered the room to announce the dinner was ready the same time that Richard emerged from his study. Emily dropped the issue of the attendance of Friday Night dinners, for now, and ushered everyone into dining room for dinner to be served.

At the dining room table, Richard first struck up a conversation with Luke, curious to see how the diner business was doing and to see if there were any tips he could offer the proprietor. He even offered up the chance to franchise the diner again, starting with a few locations close to home, if Luke ever wanted to go down that road. When Luke, once again, turned down the offer since his diner was enough for him, conversation flowed towards the business at the Dragonfly and Lorelai's life, as if her mother hadn't called earlier this week to check in on things and scout around for any new information into her daughter's life. Lorelai had the sneaking suspicion that her mother was waiting for an announcement that an official wedding date had been set since some of her questions seemed to tip in that direction but there was still no development in that area.

Emily and Richard had requested to be kept up to date on Luke's custody battle with Anna and they were, Lorelai had informed them of the verdict and April's upcoming visits to Stars Hollow that came along with the announcement that Luke had won in this custody battle. So it wasn't completely surprising when her name came up in the conversation at the dinner table.

"When will April come to stay with you?" Emily asked, directly asking Luke. "Soon?"

"Yeah," Luke gave a nod of his head. "Her mom is supposed to drop her off Sunday and she's going to stay with us for two weeks."

"That's good news," Emily replied cheerfully, immediately sending off suspicious vibes, at least to Lorelai.

"It is," Luke agreed while across the table Lorelai was trying to figure out her mother's angle and cheerful disposition.

"Isn't that good news Lorelai?" Emily asked. "I'm sure you're happy about April coming to stay with you two, give you bonding time as a family."

"Right, yeah," Lorelai agreed, she carefully studied her mother while she spoke. "I spent time today getting her room ready for her when she is dropped off on Sunday."

"She'll stay in Rory's room?" Emily inquired, "What if Rory needs her room for something while April is there?"

"Well, Mom, Rory does have an apartment so I don't think she'll need the room for anything besides maybe trying to find something she lost in there," Lorelai replied. "Rory knows that April will be staying with us, besides she doesn't spend much time at home now anyways, it's not like we're displacing her or anything."

"More room in your house would still be helpful, especially if Rory wanted to spend the weekend at home," Emily led on. "Another add-on to the house or just, perhaps, a new house."

"Like I said, Rory knows that April will be with us so I don't see her trying to spend the night anytime soon. We're working with what we have for now," Lorelai explained.

"I see."

Lorelai had speared her asparagus and it was half-way to her mouth when she heard the question that she should have known her mother would throw out there. She should have known it wouldn't stop at inquiries about the house and where April would stay and if it would be in Rory's room.

"Will April be attending Friday Night dinner with you while she is staying with you?" Emily asked, peering over the rim of her glass at Lorelai then Luke.

"Uh..." Lorelai locked eyes with Luke across the table as she tried to think of her response. She tried to read his expression but that didn't lead her anywhere. "Well, um..."

"Um is not an answer," Richard chimed in, having been quiet for most of latter part of the conversation.

"Your father's right. Answer the question Lorelai, will April be joining us for Friday Night dinner?" Emily asked again. "I would like to plan ahead and if I know that she's coming, I would like to have something that she'll eat."

Lorelai kept her eyes locked with Luke's. "We haven't talked about that Mom."

"Well what's there to talk about? She'll be a part of the family when you two get married, these dinners are for family, you'll be attending the dinner anyways, it makes sense that April would attend with you," Emily replied.

Lorelai sighed. "These are different circumstances."

"I would like to get to know April and I'm sure your father would as well," Emily replied.

Lorelai nodded her head, "Right, but still these are different circumstances. I've barely spent any time around April myself and I'm not sure if this is the best decision."

When Emily didn't let up, not that anyone thought she would right away, Lorelai looked across the table at Luke and silently pleaded with him to say something about the situation and not to just be silent. He was April's father after all and this was more his decision than hers, since she still didn't know how much she should assert herself in decisions for April's life.

Luke nodded his head firmly at Lorelai. "Lorelai's right, we haven't talked about it. I think we should talk about it before any decision is made."

Lorelai gave him a small smile, grateful that he finally spoke up. She turned to face her mother, "We'll talk."

* * *

"Listen about what my mother said at dinner tonight, about April attending them," Lorelai said as she slid into bed next to Luke. "I know I said and you that we should talk about it, but I think it should be your decision, April's your daughter, you should decide if you want her to go. I can offer my opinion on the subject though."

Luke blew out a breath. "I don't know about bringing her over. I guess she should get to know them at some point but she's just getting to know you and I don't know about bringing her over to your parents."

"Besides who knows how my parents will act if she does go."

"I know your parents aren't the warmest people in the world," Luke said, earning a scoff and 'you think?' from Lorelai. "But you don't think that they'll do anything."

Lorelai shook her head, "Oh no, I don't think they'll do anything. I mean my mom was trying to get to know that random kid at the diner because she thought she was yours. She was somewhat warm to her at first until she discovered that she wasn't your kid then that was a different story. My relationship with them has been different lately, not as terrible, but I don't know...that's your decision."

"Why is it only my decision, they're your parents," Luke replied.

"And April's your daughter," Lorelai replied. "She's just coming into your life, I'm just getting to know her, you went through this whole custody battle with Anna. You're the father, I'm dad's fiancée. I'm here to help with April but I don't know my role as far as decisions go. Do I help with small ones like this? Big ones should probably be left up to you and Anna. I can give opinions and my opinion for this would be to wait Friday Night dinners include all of us."

"I honestly don't know either," Luke confessed causing Lorelai to chuckle. "I thought about it and of course I want you involved in her life..."

"Well it would kind of be hard for me to avoid being involved in her life if she's staying in the house."

"I feel like there should be a balance because we will get married, you will be April's step-mom and a part in her life, I don't know what that balance should be though. I don't know the right thing to do."

"Hey don't look at me, I don't know either. I never had this problem with Christopher," Lorelai replied. "Well sort of when she was older and then I freaked out but that was still different from this. He still wasn't that involved and Rory kind of made her own decisions."

"Right."

Lorelai gave him a reassuring smile. "You'll figure it out." She leaned in a pressed a kiss to his lips. "And by the way, I moved some stuff out of Rory's room so April will have space, the only thing left to do is to wash the sheets."

"And let me guess," Luke said, as both he and Lorelai began to get more comfortable in the bed, both taking their sides and sinking down into the covers, "You left the laundry for me to do?"

"Well you are the best at it."

Luke saw this as his second opportunity today and he couldn't resist. "Dirty."

Lorelai's smile slowly turned into a smirk as Luke moved above her, his hand slowly and teasingly inching up underneath her pajama top. "You know there's something else that you're the best at."

"Really?" Luke asked and Lorelai answered him with a nod. "What's that?"

"Making coffee," she teased, noting his handiwork as his hand was no longer under her top but had worked the buttons loose so she now lay exposed to him.

A moan escaped her throat as it was now his turn to tease her which he took his time doing, peppering soft kisses along her exposed skin while his hands toyed with the waistband of her pajama pants. Her hands were busy as well, bunching up his shirt and pulling it over his head as soon as she got the chance. She ran her fingers through his hair holding him in place as he paid very close attention to her chest, finally she pulled him up to her connecting their lips in a passionate kiss.

She thought she should tell him that he was better than coffee though she knew that he already knew that without the words ever having to be spoken but she decided, like Luke's train of thought, that she would let her actions speak. Then he would get the memo. Coffee just couldn't compare to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love for this story!


	18. Chapter 18

Red-faced, Lorelai stopped in her tracks just in the doorway of Luke's apartment that was mainly used as an office now. She had received a call from him just minutes ago asking her to come over so they could discuss something. With they way that she thought he sounded and the mysterious phone call while at work, she thought that he meant he wanted to _discuss_ something. A little dessert after lunchtime, a spoonful of lovin' in the middle of the afternoon.

Which is exactly what she was spouting off about as she entered the apartment, unaware that Luke wasn't alone until she spotted him sitting at the small kitchen table that was still up there with Anna. Embarrassment flooded her when the two pair of eyes locked on her, Luke looked somewhat upset and almost as embarrassed as she felt while Anna glared at her with a less than favorable look on her face. And that was being nice.

"Oh god, okay, that's not..." Lorelai stammered trying to combat the embarrassment she felt while trying to find something to say. She should really gauge the room before she opened her mouth next time. She took a deep breath, planting her feet on the ground as that would give her some leverage. "So I've said a lot of stuff just now and I was just joking but I get it now. Not funny." She tried to play it cool but failed. "So what's going on?"

Luke cleared his throat, not looking at Anna for the moment as she was still glaring at Lorelai. "Um Anna wanted to come by before she dropped April off to go over a few things and I thought you should be here too."

"Although I'm not so sure about that now," Anna added on.

"Lorelai is my fiancée, April is staying with the both of us at our house, she's going to be a part of this, she also needs to here whatever you have to go over," Luke replied firmly, even tapping his finger onto the tabletop to prove his point. He waved Lorelai over. "I want her to be here."

Anna relented when Lorelai walked over to the table and took a seat next to Luke. Lorelai ducked her head, the embarrassment still burning her cheeks. Though some of that was relieved hearing Luke stand up to Anna and make the case about why she should be there and that he wanted her there for this, whatever this was supposed to be. Him wanting her there was definitely a positive sign.

"Right." Anna glanced down at the piece of paper in her hands before sliding it across the table to Luke, "I just wanted to go over April's schedule before I brought her by later. I think I erred on the side of too many details."

"I like details," Luke replied as he started to read silently from the paper. It was filled with various phone numbers, all appropriately labeled with the person it would link Luke to if he were to call. A drawn, makeshift calendar decorated the bottom of the page with activities detailed over the next couple of weeks.

Lorelai gave a nod of her head, "Yeah, details are good." She stopped herself before she started to ramble as she had a tendency to do in situations like this. Instead, she leaned over just enough to get a peek at the paper Luke held in his hands.

"Her swim meet schedule is on there, with practices on some days...it's all detailed there really. You have phone numbers for the pediatrician, dentist, optometrist, orthodontists, some of her friends' parents if you need those," Anna listed off. "Really any numbers you may need are there."

"Do I really need all of this?" Luke asked, he set the paper down on the table. "I mean, it's not like you're going anywhere. You're not that far away, I can call you if anything comes up."

"She'll be your responsibility while she's with you Luke, of course you need all of this," Anna replied. "April is our daughter, if anything were to happen to her I would want you to call me, especially if it's an emergency. But she'll be in your custody, your responsibility."

"Right, right," Luke said with a nod of his head."I've got it, April's going to be fine staying with us. I promise. There's no need to worry."

"Luke's right, there's no need to worry, everything will be fine," Lorelai chimed in though she wasn't sure how well it would go over especially after her little display just moments earlier.

"I'm not worried," Anna stated firmly. Her resolve crumbled with the way both Luke and Lorelai were looking at her, especially Lorelai. She was a single mother too after all. "Okay, maybe I'm a little worried. It'll be fine?"

"It'll be fine," Luke assured her. Lorelai gave a firm nod of her head to show that she agreed with Luke but decided to stay silent, it was probably for the best.

Seconds later, Anna delved into a few more details of April's schedule going over and informing them that April knew her schedule well and could keep on top of it herself but it was still important for them to know. When she was done and had nothing else to say, Luke showed her to the door while Lorelai stayed seated at the table.

After showing Anna out, Luke walked back into his office/former apartment to find Lorelai still at the table with her head down. He leaned down just enough to whisper in her ear, "Fifteen."

"What?" Lorelai asked, popping her head up from the table and looking up at Luke.

"Your face, fifteen different shades of red earlier," he replied with a smirk that he couldn't help.

Lorelai put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him away, "Oh my god, shut up." She groaned, "That was embarrassing. How are you being so calm about this? I don't think she liked me that much before then that stunt earlier put the nail in the coffin. She might skip town now, never bring April over."

"She's not going to do that, she can't do that. We went to court, we have an arrangement," Luke replied. He leaned his arms down on the table when Lorelai laid her head back down, "And I'm always on the other end of this. With you trying to embarrass me, it's nice to have the tables turned."

"I don't like you," Lorelai said, her words muffled by the surface of the table.

Luke chuckled then pressed a kiss to her hair. He moved around her to gather up the papers Anna had given him earlier with Lorelai lifting her head up just enough so Luke could slip one of the pieces of paper away. She spoke up again about how embarrassing it was but he couldn't hear exactly what she said since most of her words were still muffled.

After a few minutes of dwelling in her own embarrassment and idiocy, Lorelai pushed away from the table met Luke in the kitchen. Though his apartment was rarely used, some food items were still stocked away up there as a getaway from the diner at times when Luke wanted lunch or just needed a break without going all the way home. Currently, he was sipping on a glass of orange juice while still looking over the papers with April's schedule and school information.

"Look at all this stuff the school has had to ban," Luke replied as she showed the paper to Lorelai. "Razor blades. They've expressly forbidden razor blades. Are kids just walking around with razor blades now?"

"Oh honey, calm down," Lorelai said soothingly before taking her own glance at the paper Luke held out for her. "No one is just walking around with razor blades, at least not at April's school. I had this same paper when Rory started school, every school year. They have to spell all of this out in their school policy, they have a lot of kids to take care of. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"Nothing bad is going to happen?" Luke asked.

"Nothing bad is going to happen," Lorelai confirmed. She smiled up at him, "I worried every year with Rory. I worry with her at Yale now, that's just part of being a parent; worrying over sending your child out into the world. It's natural."

"So this gut-wrenching feeling that I have, that I've had for a while now that something's going to happen to her, that I can't watch out for her at all times, that's all normal?"

Lorelai nodded her head, "Congratulations. You're a father."

Luke sighed heavily, "Oh god."

She just remained smiling up at him. "You'll survive. I have faith in you." She leaned in and pressed a quick peck to his lips. "Now I have to get back to the inn before the gourds take over."

"The gourds?" Luke questioned.

"Apparently Jackson's squash crop had a very good summer which means the kitchen at the inn is covered in gourds. Sookie already made gourd soup which she said was like pie soup and trust me that she was lying, it tasted nothing like pie!" Lorelai quickly informed him. "Anyways, she's still trying out new gourd recipes so I probably need to intervene before she goes into a gourd overload. A gouverload."

"Funny," Luke deadpanned.

"I'll just go to work where my humor is appreciated." She leaned in and pressed another quick kiss to his lips. "I'll just be a few hours then I'll be home in time for Anna to drop April off."

"See you then."

* * *

 

Luke shut the door behind Anna who just dropped April off in the care of him and Lorelai for the next two weeks. He left his daughter's bags in the entryway as he made his way into the living room where Lorelai and April were presumably looking for Paul Anka due to the small part of their conversation that he overhead.

"I swear we have a dog, he's just a little off," Lorelai explained as she lifted a blanket off the chair to see if that's where Paul Anka took refuge. "And you're new and sometimes we have to slowly introduce him to new people. He's probably hiding somewhere, he has so many hiding places. I don't even know where the half of them are."

"I've never had a dog, a hamster once, but never a dog," April replied as she helped Lorelai look around for the animal.

"Well Paul Anka is definitely not a normal dog, he has his own little list of quirks, don't worry though he's a friendly dog. All you have to do is pet him and you're in." Lorelai stopped looking when she noticed that Luke was now in the room. "Oh now is the perfect time for the tour!"

"Tour?" Luke echoed.

"Yes, a tour," Lorelai answered. "Today I realized that while April had been to Stars Hollow and we've hung out once before, she's never been to the house. So a tour is definitely needed at this time."

"A tour sounds great," April piped up.

"She has spoken. A tour it is!" Lorelai exclaimed. She looked above April's head and across the room at Luke. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"I'll let you do the honors," Luke replied.

Lorelai clasped her hands together, "Okay great!" She walked over to the staircase and gestured for April and Luke to line up behind her, "Now we can get this tour underway. Please keep all hands and feet inside the car at all time. No flash photography. Paul Anka thinks it is lightning, I learned that one the hard way. Even though he is hiding, I'm sure he can still sense the flash and we don't need a doggie freak-out tonight."

Lorelai led them upstairs, pointing out her and Luke's bedroom before she pointed out the separate bathroom just down the hall that she had personally stocked with different brands of shampoos, conditioners, and body washes that she thought April might like and if she didn't then they could go back to the store and pick out whatever April wanted or needed for the bathroom.

After a few minutes, she led them back downstairs and into the living room where she pointed out the need for movie nights that she was eager to share with April. Luke jumped in at that moment pointing out that there didn't need to be that much junk on movie night and that movie nights should be kept for the weekends since they tended to go late and April didn't need to stay up that late on a school night. The kitchen was the next stop on the tour with Lorelai pointing out that this room actually had a use now since Luke lived there. Finally, she stopped in front of Rory's door and turned to face Luke and April.

Lorelai cleared her throat, "And now for our very last stop on the tour." She opened the door to the room. "Here we have Rory's...I mean your room," she quickly corrected herself as she stepped into the room, making sure that April was right behind her.

Lorelai crossed the room and leaned back against the desk. "Here we have a desk that you can do your homework on, a nice little chair that you can use for reading. Do you like reading?"

April nodded, "I like reading."

"Good to know," Lorelai replied, "Because they are plenty of books still in here that you are welcome to read at any time, you're also welcome to store your own books here because this is your room. There is a nice little window ledge for your avocado pit where it will get plenty of sun, at least I think it will." She pointed to the closet and dresser. "I made sure that you have plenty of dresser and closet space. There are plenty of hangers in there for your dresses."

"I'm not too big on dresses," April informed her.

"That's what your dad told me, still there are plenty of hangers if you need them for anything at all." Lorelai pushed away from the desk and over to the bed where she sat down on the edge. "And the most important thing in the room is the bed. Which is freshly made with clean sheets and a blanket. I believe that wraps our tour." She looked to her fiancé. "Luke?"

"I think that you covered everything," Luke replied. He looked to April, "We want you to feel at home here because this is your home now too. If you want, we can go shopping and get a few things for your room to make you feel more at home. We can get a rug, a lamp, some pillows or something. Whatever you want. Just let me know."

"I would definitely take him up on that offer," Lorelai added on, getting up from the bed and walking over to Luke. "He never offers to take me shopping, I always have to drag him along."

April smiled at both of the adults. "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Okay," Luke gave a nod of his head. "Well we will leave you alone, let you get settled in here."

"Okay."

Lorelai was the first one out the door with Luke trailing slowly behind. When she noticed that he was right behind her, she turned around to see Luke watching as April placed her avocado pit experiment on the window ledge. She couldn't help but notice the proud look on his face as he watched after his daughter. He finally caught up with her and mentioned that he was going to take April's bags to her since she needed those to get settled into the room.

Lorelai moved through the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and leaning back against the counter where she had a good view into April's room where Luke was now helping April put away a few of her things. She smiled at their interactions, for someone that was worried about his abilities as a father, he seemed to have a pretty good handle on things so far. When she noticed that Luke asked about the science experiment April had on the window ledge, she decided to leave them be for the moment and quietly snuck out of the kitchen and into the living room. After practically being banned from seeing his daughter all summer, she thought that they deserved a little father-daughter time. And she was more than happy to give them their time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer in first chapter. Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

Lorelai walked through the door first, the arm full of bags not slowing her down as she made her way to the living room where she unceremoniously dumped her bags onto the couch. Moments later, she was joined in the living room by Luke and April who each had bags of their own that were soon piled next to hers on the couch with some falling onto the floor. Paul Anka wandered into the living room and warily sniffed the various shopping bags before deciding that they were not a threat to him or his well-being, not like peas or popcorn. When Paul Anka curled up on the floor near the coffee table, Lorelai began to poke through the bags. She quickly surveyed their contents, taking stock of everything that they bought on their little shopping excursion before she turned to Luke and April.

"I think our shopping trip was quite a success," she boasted proudly.

"I think you two didn't leave anything in the store for other people to buy," Luke replied, first looking at Lorelai then to April who stood next to him with a smile on her face that almost matched Lorelai's.

April looked up at her father. "We left plenty of stuff in the store, anything olive colored specifically. I'm over olive, not to wear, not to eat. Bleh." She added a shiver in with her words to show that she was truly over the color.

"I'm with you there kid," Lorelai agreed. She smiled at her future stepdaughter before she dipped her hand into the shopping bag closest to her and pulled out a piece of fabric. "Plus I really love this color you're into now, cerulean right?"

April gave a nod of her head, "Cerulean," she confirmed.

"I'll have to remember that in the future." Lorelai ran her hands over the fabric. "I think this tablecloth will look great in the kitchen. You did a good job of picking it out Luke."

"Well both of you were hinting at a tablecloth," Luke replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He then smiled, "You know, I'm glad we went today. We had fun."

"April how good is your memory?" Lorelai asked, both her tone and expression turned serious.

The young girl looked confused. "Why?"

Luke looked just as confused as his daughter did but he knew Lorelai better and while this didn't make sense to either of them at the moment, it made plenty of sense to her.

In a split second her serious expression was gone and a mega-watt smile replaced it, "Because I don't have a tape recorder on me on the moment and I'm going to want to remember your father saying that he had fun shopping for as long as I live. Play it back for him if he ever grumbles about shopping again."

April laughed at Lorelai and the look on her father's face as he replied to Lorelai. "I've told you before that I don't mind shopping with you, I like going places with you." He turned his focus to April, "With the both of you," he clarified.

"I like it too," April said sincerely. She turned to the couch, quickly peeked into the shopping bags, and carefully selected the ones that contained everything she selected for her room. "I'm going to go put my stuff away."

"Okay kid. Tacos sound good for dinner?" Luke asked.

April nodded, "Sounds great actually."

With that, the young girl left the two adults and Paul Anka in the living room as she disappeared into her/Rory's room, eager to decorate with everything that was bought on their shopping trip after school. Once April was out of the room, Lorelai walked over to Luke and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She looked up at him, "I know you like doing things with me. I was just teasing, poking a little fun at you," she added on with a literal poke of her finger to his chest.

"I wasn't upset that you said that," Luke replied. "I just want you to know that I do like doing things with you, whatever you want to do. And I like doing things with April, it's nice to spend time with the both of you."

Lorelai sighed, "Yeah, it is."

"I was an idiot for not doing this earlier, for not letting you two spend any time together," Luke admitted.

"That fact has been well established." She gave him a reassuring smile, "But we can't really change the past, we're good now. That's what matters."

"Good."

"Now you get in that kitchen and make two of your favorite girls some tacos." She looked over her shoulder at Paul Anka who was sleeping on the floor. "And remember Paul Anka's dinner. You remember how he likes it?"

"Rare plus. Not too rare but not medium rare," Luke listed off dryly. "I remember."

She smiled and unwrapped her arms from around his waist before she started to make her way to the kitchen with Luke following behind her. "Good, he just has a lot of quirks."

"And I have everyone of them memorized. Crazy dog."

"You are the perfect man," Lorelai complimented. She stopped in front of the open bedroom door where April was quietly rearranging and decorating her space. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "I'm going to see if she needs any help, little bonding time."

Luke smiled, "Go for it."

While Luke moved towards the refrigerator to gather the ingredients for their dinner, Lorelai moved closer to the open doorway. She popped her head in the door before raising her fist and lightly knocking on the door frame until she gained April's attention.

"Hey kiddo," Lorelai greeted. "Want any help?"

"Sure." April moved to the bed, taking the striped cerulean bedspread in her hands. "I need a little help making the bed anyways."

Lorelai smiled and walked into the room. Standing on the opposite side of the bed of April, she stripped the bed of the quilt she put on it a few days ago and laid it gently on the floor. "Well that just so happens to be one of the things that I have years of experience doing. Long, long, before I owned my own inn, I worked as a maid at one."

"Really?" April asked, she held onto the bedspread and copied Lorelai's movements as they began to make the bed.

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah. I wasn't really even qualified to do that, no experience at all, but Mia helped Rory and me out a lot when I first moved here." She smoothed out a few wrinkles in the bedspread, making adjustments here and there as she continued to speak. "Fast forward a few years later when I first met Sookie and we worked together and we became friends. We grew close and both had a dream of opening our own inn one day. Long story short, we went through a lot and eventually opened our own inn."

"Wow, that's impressive," April complimented. She looked down at the now made bed, where Lorelai was fluffing the pillows and propping them up to make the bed look like one out of a home decorating magazine. "And I'm not just talking about the bed making skills."

Lorelai let out a small laugh, "Oh trust me it was a lot of hard work. You're already so smart, I'm sure you'll do far more impressive things one day." She clasped her hands together, "Okay, now the bed is made. Anything else you want help with?"

"Just decorating, putting the lamp of my desk, rearranging my school supplies, if you want to help with any of that."

"Of course I do. But I'll let you handle the school supplies part because if you're anything like Rory, you have an order in which they go that I won't understand so it's best if I just stay away from it." She grabbed the small lamp from the dresser. "I'll just handle the lamp for now."

"There is an order to my school supplies," April replied as she picked up a wire desk organizer that wasn't quite cerulean but close enough. "I like for everything to be in it's place."

"Nothing wrong with that, don't completely understand it because I'm not as organized." Lorelai perched the small desk lamp on the corner that was closest to an outlet. "You want it here?"

April nodded, "Yeah that's good."

"Remind me or your dad to put a light-bulb in it later so you can study." Lorelai moved away from the desk and sat down on the edge of the bed as she watched April grab her backpack and pull a few books out, carefully arranging them on her desk. "So your dad mentioned that you had a test today, how did that go?"

"Well it was in history which isn't my best subject, because my best subjects are science and math, but I'm pretty sure I aced it." April moved on from arranging her books to arranging her assortment of writing utensils. "Dad helped me study though, he quizzed me."

"Yeah he told me, hate that I missed that," Lorelai replied.

She had to work late the night before to help with a convention passing through town, leaving her to come home only after both Luke and April were asleep. April had been staying with them for a couple of days now but between Lorelai's schedule at the Inn and the young girl's schedule of her own, involving school and swim team practice, their time alone together hadn't happened yet. Lorelai had spent mornings and parts of the afternoon and night with both Luke and April but she wanted a little one-on-one time with her soon-to-be stepdaughter. Which is one of the reasons she offered her help in decorating April's room.

"You know that any other time that you need help studying and I'm around, you can always ask me. I spent years helping Rory study, when she would let me help her, so I know lots of studying techniques. We would even turn it into a game, I don't mind at all."

April nodded her head at the offer. "Okay."

"Okay."

Finished with the organization of her school supplies, April moved away from her desk and sifted through another bag. In just a few seconds, she pulled out a fuzzy blue rug which Lorelai was quick to help her spread across the floor in front of the bed. Both of them stood back and observed their work with April straightening up just a few of her things that were arranged on the dresser.

"So when are you and my dad getting married?" She asked nonchalantly, her back to Lorelai as she occupied herself with tidying up the items on the dresser.

Lorelai was glad that April wasn't watching her since the question startled her and she knew that she didn't hide the look of shock at all. The nonchalant bluntness that came from the young girl in the form of a question rendered her speechless momentarily which didn't get past April. She turned around to face Lorelai and immediately apologized.

"Mom says bluntness isn't my most attractive quality," April explained. "I just know that you two are engaged, engaged people usually plan a wedding, and I haven't heard anything about a wedding. Sorry if that was a weird question."

Lorelai shook her head and let out a small laugh, "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to ask that. You don't have to apologize though, you're just curious." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, wondering just what to say. "You're right, engaged people usually do plan a wedding but..it's just that your dad and I aren't exactly in a rush to the altar at the moment."

"I understand, you two seem to make each other happy and couples don't always need to rush into marriage, it's probably good to take time before, no rush," April said just as nonchalantly as before.

"Okay, that's it, now I'm convinced that your generation is trying to outsmart my generation, make us look dumb," Lorelai joked which, in turn, caused the younger girl to smile. She moved back and sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to her for April to join her. "So tell me about school."

April joined Lorelai on the bed and swiftly delved into details abut her schooling. Lorelai listened on intently, happy to be able to have a few moments alone with April to connect with her and get to know her just a little bit better, since most of the stuff she knew came from Luke and the whatever she gleaned in the past couple of days by having April stay with them. While April was wrapped up in an anecdote about her friend Martha, Lorelai noticed Luke had stopped by the open bedroom door was watching them. She smiled, giving him a thumbs up to let him know that everything was going okay and he could focus back on cooking them dinner.

As April wrapped up her latest story, Lorelai leaned in just a bit closer as if they were going to share a secret. "So any cute boys in your class?"

* * *

 

"Is it okay if I read for a little bit longer before I turn out the lights?" April asked from her position in the chair that was placed close to the bed in her room. Her desk lamp had been fitted for a light bulb and gave her just enough light to pore over her biology.

Luke stood in the doorway of the bedroom with Lorelai by his side. He gave a nod of his head, "Real page-turner huh?"

April chuckled. "Oh yeah, mitosis is insane."

"Knock yourself out then, not too much longer though," Luke advised. "You do have school in the morning."

I know, I won't be up too much longer," April replied. "Goodnight."

Both of the adults bid their good-nights to April before easing out of the room and back into the kitchen. Luke shut off the lights in the kitchen, the small space still illuminated by a nightlight that was plugged into the wall since Lorelai insisted that Paul Anka needed a little bit of light to navigate around the house at night. After also saying goodnight to Paul Anka, Lorelai was the first one that headed upstairs.

While Luke brushed his teeth, Lorelai snuck up behind him and laid her head on his back. After a few seconds, she stretched onto her tip-toes and let her head rest on his shoulder, their eyes connected in the mirror.

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

Lorelai smiled at him in the mirror before she moved to his side and took up residence at her bathroom sink. "Oh nothing. It's just nice seeing you be all fatherly, making sure April's not staying up too late, advising her on a bedtime, helping her study, that sort of stuff. You're doing great."

The couple shared another smile in the mirror as Lorelai began to brush her teeth. "You really think so?"

Lorelai nodded, moving the toothbrush out of the toothbrush out of the way so she could speak. "Yeah, I really do. It's only been a couple of days but you're getting the hang of this fatherhood thing, it's nice to watch you and April together. She's lucky to have you."

Luke pressed a kiss to the side of her head when she started to brush her teeth again. "Thank you."

When she gave him a nod of her head in response since she was busy with her nighttime rituals, he exited the bathroom and climbed into his side of the bed. He pulled back the covers on the bed as he waited for Lorelai. The past couple of days served as an eye-opener for him since his fatherly duties were now called into question for more than just a few hours at a time. A rhythm was established though as the times were set to drop and then pick-up April from school, a task solely done by him. An after school routine was established as well, depending on April's various activities that Luke fit into his schedule at the diner. Before she remembered the convention at the Inn, Lorelai offered her time to pick April up from school if needed, but since the past couple of days were a whirlwind for her, Luke handled everything. Though at dinner, she did once again remind him that now that her schedule calmed down a little, she was more than happy to help whenever needed.

A few minutes later, Lorelai slid into bed next to Luke and pulled the covers up over her legs. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Goodnight babe."

"Goodnight," Luke automatically replied. When she started to turn away from him and settle down into the bed, he tapped on her leg to get her attention. "Hey, what did you and April talk about earlier?"

Lorelai leaned up on her elbow. "Oh you know, just girly things."

"Girly things?" Luke questioned.

"We talked about school, her friends, a boy that she likes -"

"I know all about Freddie," Luke cut in.

Lorelai grinned as she fully sat up on the bed, "She talked to you about Freddie?" When Luke nodded, she added on, "Hm, I thought I might be special, learning about her crush and all. I would have never talked to my dad about a boy."

"Well she hasn't said much about him, she told me when I went on that trip with her math team," Luke replied. "She told me that she liked him but she was ignoring him. And I wasn't to stay too close to her at some times, keep a little distance."

"All normal teenage girl stuff," Lorelai informed him. "It's good that she told you though, shows that she wants to share things with you. I liked talking with her, just the two of us. You have a very smart kid."

Luke sighed and gave a slight shake of his head, "No idea where she got that."

"That's me with Rory." Lorelai paused for a minute. "There is something that April asked me about that I feel like I should mention. Just something that I wasn't really expecting her to ask."

"What is it?"

"She asked me when we were getting married since we're engaged and all. At first I didn't know what to tell her and she apologized for being blunt, but I told her that she didn't have to apologize, I just wasn't expecting that question from her, from my parents yes, but not her," Lorelai had began to ramble. "But I just told her that we weren't really in a rush or anything. Then she said it was probably good to wait and not rush. I don't know, I just thought you should know that, know some of what we talked about."

"We are getting married," Luke reassured her.

Lorelai smiled, "Well I know that, and I know we haven't set any plans yet which I'm fine with since things are really just settling down now after the custody battle and all. I just thought since April mentioned it to me, I should mention it to you."

"I'm glad that you did." Luke leaned in closer and pecked her lips. "Goodnight."

"Night hon."

When Luke settled down underneath the covers and turned his back to her, her smile faltered. Of course she knew that they were getting married, she no longer doubted that, not like she did months ago. But she still wasn't sure what was holding them back from at least setting a date and starting to plan for a wedding. Like she told April, she wasn't really in a rush but at the other hand they both weren't getting any younger and if there were any more kids in their future, which they both wanted, she wanted to be married before she got pregnant. And she wanted to get pregnant, provide Luke with a child, one that he could actually watch and father as the kid grew up so he wouldn't miss out on anything like he did with April. But she did want to be married first, go about things in the order that most people did.

Lorelai reached out for Luke, she wanted to further talk about a wedding, a marriage, their life together, the life they were already sharing together, talk without really rushing anything but also maybe have a plan to set a date or at least talk options – but the steady rise and fall of his chest told her that he was already asleep. She sighed deeply, the opportunity gone for now. Before she snuggled up underneath the covers, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and told herself that she wouldn't drag this out like before. She would approach him with how she felt and they would talk.

Soon.


	20. Chapter 20

April sat on her preferred stool in the diner, her purple spiral-bound notebook lay open in front of her as she marked down the latest findings from her avocado pit experiment. According to her calculations, everything was going according to plan. Tonight her father was working and Lorelai – well she wasn't exactly sure where Lorelai had gone tonight. All she knew was that Lorelai breezed into the diner just a few moments ago, her outfit changed from this morning when she was headed to work, and announced that she needed a cup of coffee to go, the largest cup, and that she would be back later tonight before she was once again out the door. April was going to ask where she was going and why she wasn't having dinner with them tonight since she knew it wasn't a work thing but Lorelai was pretty much a whirlwind, giving her no time to ask questions.

So far she enjoyed staying with her father and Lorelai. Between the necessary studying for school, learning all of Paul Anka's quirks, and the entertainment that was her father and Lorelai since they seemed to be on a different spectrum most of the time, it definitely wasn't boring. Not that she ever thought it could be. And while she could talk to her mother and father about the latest gossip in school and sometimes boys, it was nice to have another female that she could confide in. It was especially nice when she brought up the fact that she had been invited to her first boy/girl party ever and her father freaked out and started talking about kissing because Lorelai was quick to jump in and diffuse the situation to something a little less awkward. Something she would be forever thankful for, even though she talked a little about boys with her father, she definitely didn't want to discuss kissing boys with him. That was more of a mother topic.

April put her pen down and looked up from her notebook when Lane appeared in front of her.

"Hey kiddo," Lane greeted. "Luke said your food would be ready in just a few, need anything until then?"

April shook her head, "Nope. I'm good."

Since it was a little less busy than usual, Lane decided to stay at the counter and chat with the younger girl a little. "Just so you know, I've been studying for our next Scrabble match. I'm totally going to win next time."

"And just so you know, I've been developing my monopoly strategy, a little research on my own and next time I will win that game and at Scrabble," April replied, her competitiveness starting to shine through.

Lane held back a smirk and narrowed her eyes. "How are you at Battleship?"

"Haven't played it much."

Lane smiled. "I'll have to get the game so we can play, see where you stand."

"Lorelai might have it," April piped up. "She mentioned a lot of board games but some are missing pieces."

"Oh yeah, I know. When Rory and I were little we used to play Candyland with actual pieces of candy. But we could have to keep switching pieces because we would eat the candy and then forget what piece of candy we were," Lane started to reminisce. "I don't remember finishing the game, just eating the candy."

"Sounds like fun."

At that time, Luke appeared with April's dinner. "What sounds like fun?" he asked, sliding the plate in front of his daughter. "Turkey burger and sweet potato fries."

"Board games," April replied in response to his first question. She looked down at the plate and then up at her father, "Nothing green this time?"

"Oh right," Luke replied, taking off back in the direction of the kitchen before April could tell him that she didn't actually need anything green and was just pointing out that there was usually something green at her plate every time he served her food.

"And to think, you could have gotten away without anything green on your plate." Lane smiled at the young girl. She noticed customers in need before she reached behind her and grabbed the coffee pot. "Customers to serve, we'll discuss board games later."

Just as Lane left her side, Luke appeared with a small bowl of broccoli and set it down next to her plate, encouraging her to eat it with her burger and fries since it was healthy. She didn't mind him pushing the healthy food on her, she actually enjoyed most of it. As she began to eat her dinner, her father stayed close by occasionally asking her questions about her day at school and her friends while simultaneously tending to a few of the customers' needs. Though she had spend pretty much all of her after-school time in the diner today, she still had plenty to catch him up on.

"Melissa isn't talking to Rachel again."

"Again?" Luke asked, "Didn't they just make up?"

"Yes," April sighed. "But Melissa found out that Rachel invited Joanna to come to Florida with her to visit her grandparents."

"That'll do it."

April nodded her agreement while looking down at her plate. She poked around her fries before deciding to stab at a few pieces of broccoli. "So where did Lorelai go tonight?"

"What?" Luke asked, he looked up from wiping down the counter.

April looked up at her father. "Where did Lorelai go tonight?" she asked again. "She came in here saying that she had to go somewhere and she changed her outfit from this morning, I was just wondering where she had to go tonight." She paused, "Unless it's none of my business."

"Oh no April, it's fine," Luke replied quickly. "Lorelai just went to her parent's house for dinner tonight, she and Rory go over there on Friday nights for dinner."

"And you don't go?" April questioned, a curious look on her face. "I mean, you two are engaged, it would make sense that you would have dinner with her parents as well. So why didn't you go?"

"I go on some Friday nights."

April nodded her head, "Okay. But why didn't you go tonight, is it because I'm here? I wouldn't mind going to dinner with Lorelai's parents."

"You're not the reason I didn't go over there tonight," Luke answered. "I had to work tonight too."

"But if it is an every Friday night thing, you could always plan ahead and go to dinner with Lorelai," April pointed out.

Luke sighed, dropping the rag in his hand down on the counter he moved until he was standing in front of April. "Look, Lorelai has a complicated relationship with her parents. I don't even go to that many dinners and they do want to meet you, they wanted you to come to dinner while you're staying with us but we're just trying to figure things out."

April accepted that answer rather well since she had no more questions to tack on to the end of it. It seemed everyone was still trying to figure things out; she was still trying to get to know her father, he was trying to get to know her, she was just now getting to know Lorelai, and they were all adjusting to the new custody arrangement and shifts in the forming family. Instead of asking more questions, ones that she didn't really have, April once again began filling her father in on the latest middle school gossip, though she knew she would go through all of this again later with Lorelai since she was just as interested in her life. Plus April felt that as long as she talked, her father wouldn't mention anything else about the 'k' word at her first boy/girl party and she desperately wanted to avoid that topic.

She looked up when she heard a tapping next to her now, almost empty plate.

"How about I see if Lane can close up tonight and we'll go for ice cream later?" Luke asked as he began to clear his daughter's plates away.

April nodded then smiled at her father. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

Lorelai let out a 'blech' as soon as the door to the Gilmore mansion shut behind her and Rory. Dinner tonight went about as well as she expected it to go. Even though she told her mother earlier in the week that she would be attending Friday Night dinner sans Luke and April, there were still commented hurled her way on their whereabouts and why exactly Lorelai was keeping that part of her life from them, this mainly coming from her mother. That was hardly the case. She wasn't keeping anything from them, not on purpose, she wasn't doing anything to spite them. For now, she and Luke had decided that she would test the waters on the first night and then discuss April meeting her parents. Though it might not be at their dinner by maybe on familiar turf. They had a vague sense of a plan that could still go either way at this point.

"You okay?"

Lorelai opened her eyes, unaware that she had closed them and was now leaning against the front door. She pushed herself away from the door and smiled, "I'm fine sweets."

Rory followed behind her mother as they both made their way to their respective cars, she was parked right behind her mother. "You sure, you don't seem that okay."

Lorelai waved away her daughter's concern. "Just Emily in her typical fashion tonight. I mean she called earlier this week to see what April liked to eat so she could plan dinner but I told her that Luke and April weren't coming and she still acts like it was a surprise. And that I'm doing this on purpose. And then those snide comments about how maybe one day, she'll finally meet April if Luke and I ever have our wedding."

Rory leaned up against the front of her car while she talked. "I think the only cure for that is pie and coffee."

"Does that mean a certain daughter of mine is going to accompany me back to Stars Hollow tonight for said pie and coffee?" Lorelai asked eagerly, a more genuine smile on her face this time.

"Well seeing as you have my room to April and I will have no place to sleep, I don't think I will be heading back to Stars Hollow tonight," Rory replied, the comment fitting in with a few others she made during dinner about how she was now homeless in her own home, all joking of course.

"Oh come on now," Lorelai insisted. "We have a perfectly good couch. I'll give you a pillow or two, a nice and cozy blanket and you will never even miss your room. It will be like nothing has ever changed. I'm sure Paul Anka would love the company, I think he is scared of the dark."

"As tempting as that offer may be, I still have a lot of work to do tomorrow, a couple of tests next week and a paper due plus I'm already looking at internships for after I graduate and…"

"And you're too busy to hang out with your lovely mother," Lorelai offered a suggestion to finish her daughter's sentence. "I understand sweets."

"Eat pie and drink coffee for me?" Rory asked.

Lorelai grinned. "Of course I will." She walked over to her daughter and gave her a small peck on the cheek. "But we're both going to clear our schedules soon and spend time together, just me and you."

"I'll begin the clearing of my schedule tonight."

After talking a few minutes longer and an interruption from Emily who called out the door that if they insisted on hanging around outside they could at least come inside for coffee, the two younger Gilmores scampered back to their cars while insisting that they both at to leave that this very instant. Lorelai pulled away from the Gilmore mansion first with Rory following close behind but taking a different route as she was headed back to her apartment near Yale.

Alone in her jeep and watching the scenery whiz by, Lorelai allowed herself to relax and tried to shake off the comments her mother made during dinner. Not that they were particularly stinging or even that terrible, she had faced worse, but the comment her mother made about finally, maybe, hopefully, meeting at the wedding, whenever that may be, just stuck with her. Especially after April outright questioned when that wedding would be just a few days ago. She had promised herself that she would sit down with Luke and talk about setting a wedding date, when they could and why they weren't, the life they shared together now and their future, but there really hadn't been an opportunity.

She knew that she shouldn't just wait for an opportunity to arise and she should make her own, it was easy enough seeing as she could just take off from the inn during the day and tell Luke that they needed to talk, but she hadn't done that. She couldn't quite pin down the reason. Then at home, April was always around and Lorelai didn't want to have that conversation around her, just not wanting her to overhear what may be said. But as it turned out, April would be at of the house for a few hours on Saturday for a party that she had been invited to, which Lorelai saw as the perfect time to finally talk with Luke about everything that had been rattling around in her head over the past few days.

Not long after she left her parent's house, Lorelai pulled into her driveway and parked behind Luke's truck. On her drive home, just a few minutes into her journey, she placed a call to Luke asking him if there was any leftover pie at the diner and if so would he please bring it home because dinner at her parent's wasn't all that great. Not that she really needed to ask since if there ever was any leftover pie it was usually brought home by Luke.

"I'm home," Lorelai called out as she walked through the front door. She kicked her heels off by the door and dropped her purse and keys onto the small table of the entryway before stopping to take off her coat and making her way to the living-room where Luke and April sat watching TV. "Hey you two."

"Hey Lorelai," April greeted only after her father did the same. She briefly looked away from the television set. "We went for ice cream and we got you some, it's in the freezer."

"Now that's what I like to hear," Lorelai replied, giving the young girl a smile.

Luke looked over April's head at Lorelai who stood at the end of the couch. "And I brought home the pie like you asked for."

"Even better."

Luke watched as Lorelai turned away from them and quickly disappeared into the kitchen. Since April was intently watching some show about girls trying to be models, he didn't even ask why that was even a show, he decided to follow after Lorelai. He told April that he would be right back though he wasn't completely sure if she heard him and headed towards the kitchen as swiftly as he could as not to disturb April's show.

In the kitchen Lorelai made quick work of getting her ice cream out of the freezer and the pie that she promised Rory she would eat for her, choosing just to eat it out of the take-out container so no more dishes were messed up. She looked up and smirked at Luke as he walked into the kitchen.

" _America's Next Top Model?"_ She asked. "Didn't think that was your kind of show."

"I've watched worse movies with you," Luke replied, he moved to stand in front of Lorelai who was leaning back against the counter switching between eating the two different desserts. "How was dinner?"

"Typical," Lorelai replied through a mouthful of ice cream, she made sure to finish off that little bit before continuing on. "Even though I told her that I would be the only one coming to dinner, she still questioned that and wondered why I'm keeping things from her."

"But you're not, we're not," Luke pointed out. "We made a decision, your mother was aware of that, and we're sticking to the decision. They're going to meet April one day."

"Try explaining that to Emily." Lorelai smiled softly as Luke reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I'm fine, really. She'll have to understand."

"Maybe we'll figure out something before next week."

"Yeah, maybe," Lorelai agreed. She moved past Luke to sit down at the kitchen table while Luke remained standing. "Anyways enough about the same dinner every week, you still freaking out over April going to that party tomorrow?"

Luke sighed heavily. He braced his arms on the counter behind him. "I still think she might be too young. It's a boy/girl party, with girls and boys," he replied, the last part coming out as a whisper.

Lorelai bit her lip to keep from laughing. "It's not a dirty word, you don't need to whisper it." With the already frustrated look on Luke's face she chose not to push that any further. "She checked with Anna and she said it's fine. It's her first one, she's excited."

"Yeah, I know she is. I don't know if I'm ready for her to go to that party."

"You're her dad, of course you're not ready. But Rory was around the same age when she went to her first boy/girl party and she was fine." Lorelai pushed her chosen desserts away from her. "She's just growing up Luke."

Luke didn't say anything, he just looked towards the ground. Logically he knew that April was growing up but he had just learned that he was a father just a little under a year ago and he couldn't help but think of everything he had missed in those first twelve years. The moments that he would never be able to get back. Her birth, first words, first steps, first day of school, everything. And now he supposed this was a first as well and something that he wasn't missing but it was a first that seemed to highlight how much he missed in her life and just how fast she was growing up.

He finally lifted his gaze to meet his fiancée's, concern was etched on her face. "I know," he said. He didn't want to spend a lot of time dwelling on what he missed and he tried to focus on the here and now but the past crept in, reminding him of what he missed with April though it wasn't his fault. "She's just growing up fast."

"Hello, I know all about kids growing up fast. Mine is about to graduate from college next year, it seems like she was just going door-to-door inviting people to her caterpillar's funeral," Lorelai replied as she remembered Rory being so very upset over the tiny caterpillar that lived only a day with them before a funeral had to be planned to give him a proper send-off.

"I just missed so much of her life, you know?" He paused and then blew out a breath. "I'm just getting to know her, spend a lot more time around her and she's going off to boy/girl parties."

Lorelai moved to a standing position then closed the small distance between her and Luke. Her hand went to the side of his face, her thumb stroking over the stubble present. "I know babe. And I hate that you didn't know about her and that you missed out on so many important things but there's going to be so many more important events that you are going to be here for. I know that doesn't get back the things you missed but you know her now, you're here, and you're trying so hard."

Lorelai then smiled, her hand trailing from the side of his face, down to his shoulder, and finally to his chest. "And you are trying really hard, I mean the talk about the kissing...as uncomfortable as it may have been for everyone involved..."

"Well I just thought that's something I should talk to her about, it seemed like a good idea in my head," Luke added in, interrupting her.

Lorelai chuckled. "It wasn't a terrible idea, it's just weird for a young girl to talk to her dad about that kind of stuff. It's great what you're doing though. And this is only one party, not much to freak out about."

"I know but I'm still a little worried."

Lorelai gave a shrug of her shoulders. "You're her dad, it's natural." She paused then looked him in the eye. "There's something else that I want to talk to you about, something that I've been thinking about lately."

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded her head, "Yeah, everything is fine. I just think that it's time for a certain talk. Something that we haven't really talked about in a while and we need to talk about it. So I was thinking that tomorrow after we drop April off at her party, we could talk."

"Tomorrow?" Luke asked, "Why not tonight? We can talk now if you want to."

"It's already getting late, it's been a long day, and tomorrow we'll have the house to ourselves, not that we really need the house to ourselves but this way we can hash out what we need to," Lorelai informed him. She gave him a grin to reassure him when she saw the look on his face, "Trust me, it's nothing bad, just something we need to deal with."

Luke nodded slowly. "Okay."

She leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Didn't get my hello kiss when I came home." She pulled back from him, grabbing what was left of her pie from the kitchen table. "Now I think I'm going to go join April, catch up on the latest happenings with the models and the middle school gossip."

Luke peered over her shoulder at the mess she was leaving behind. "I'll cleanup in here."

"Oh and that comment earlier about my taste in movies, I only force you to watch the classics, they aren't that bad," Lorelai commented as she exited the kitchen and made her way to the living room, leaving a confused and wondering Luke in her wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

"French braid, right?" Lorelai asked, her hands playing with April's hair as they sat on the bed in the younger girl's room. She had passed by the room, heading into the kitchen for coffee when she noticed April struggling to fix her hair. She popped her head in, asking if she needed any help and when April accepted the offer, they began to discuss hairdos.

"If you can do one," April answered. She picked up a few stray sheets of paper that laid next to her on the bed. "I printed off instructions but I can't figure it out on my own."

Lorelai smiled, using her leverage on the girl's head to tilt it back towards her. "Well lucky for you, I'm a whiz at the french braid and several other hairstyles."

Lorelai tilted April's head back to the front, grabbed the brush from the bed, and gently began to brush the girl's hair. She brushed through the tangles then separated the hair into sections as her fingers moved expertly through the young girl's hair, incorporating sections of hair to achieve the french braid that April wanted. Her work was finished fast, her skills honed that time when Rory was young and went through a french braid hair phase, and she quickly secured it with the hair elastic that April provided.

"There you go, all finished," Lorelai announced, she ran her fingers over the braid and secured any loose hairs. She grabbed a small hand-held mirror from the table beside the bed and passed it off to April. "Take a look."

April accepted the mirror and moved off of the bed to stand in front of the mirror that was attached to the dresser. She turned her back to the biggest mirror and angled the one in her hand to get the best view of her braid. "This looks great, thanks Lorelai."

"No problem kid," Lorelai replied with a smile. Her smile fell slightly when she noticed April holding her side. "You okay April?"

April nodded her head, moving her hand away from her side though there was a slight pain there. "Yeah, I'm fine. I need to finish getting ready for the party. I need to wrap Sabrina's present, do you have any tape?"

"Yeah," Lorelai replied, not fully convinced that April was absolutely fine. She pushed up from the bed and moved to leave the room. "I think it's in the kitchen, I'll get it."

April followed Lorelai out of the room and into the kitchen where she started to open and search through drawers for a roll of tape. Meanwhile, April moved to the kitchen table where the present she bought for Sabrina lay, a CD she thought she would enjoy, beside it were the news articles that she wanted to use for wrapping paper to put everything in perspective just in case the present wasn't enjoyed by the recipient. To her, it was a foolproof plan.

A few minutes later, Lorelai gently set the roll of tape down. "Here ya go kid."

"Thanks," April replied. She grabbed the tape and meticulously pulled off a few pieces, all the same length, before she began to carefully wrap the present. She made sure the edges were smooth as she folded the paper over the present, trying to ignore the slight but persistent pain in her side.

While April worked on wrapping her present, Lorelai set about putting on a pot of coffee while keeping an eye on April for any more signs that she might be feeling less than fine. A few minutes later, Luke entered the kitchen after having making a quick run to Doose's to pick up a few things for dinner for him and Lorelai. As he began to put away the groceries, the signs and symptoms that Lorelai just noticed moments earlier did not go unnoticed by him. Lorelai backed him up on the idea that April might not feel good, just having the sharp parental eye to know when a kid isn't feeling well. But when Luke asked April more than once if she was feeling okay, she just kept insisting that she was fine and definitely not hungry.

Despite his gut feeling that April wasn't feeling well, he sat her down for another talk about her first boy/girl party where he wanted to talk about kissing and whether or not she was ready for that, but replaced the word kissing with juggling much to Lorelai's amusement. She moved away from the table to look for the card to go along with the present after agreeing that there would be no 'juggling' at this party that she was going to. As she moved around the room, she held a hand over her right side where the pain still persisted.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Luke asked yet again while he watched April search around for the card. He noted that she looked a little paler than usual. "Sweetie, you don't look so good."

"Well that's not a nice thing to say to someone who's on her way to her first boy-girl party," April replied sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Luke immediately apologized.

Lorelai set the coffee cup in her hands down, pushed away from the counter, and made her way over to April. She lowered her voice. "Is it a girl problem sweetie? I do have stuff upstairs if you need anything."

"No," April practically screeched, more embarrassed to have this conversation in front of her father, even if Lorelai was whispering the comment to her.

"Okay," Lorelai backed off slightly. "But your dad is right, you do look a little pale. Are you sure that you're feeling okay?"

April picked up the card that she had left on the counter and plopped it down next to the wrapped present. "I told both of you that I'm fine," an irritated edge to her voice due to answering the same question over and over. And definitely not due to the fact that she was feeling fine, well less than fine but nothing too terrible.

"Here let me feel your forehead," Luke insisted.

"I think we have a thermometer upstairs if you need that," Lorelai offered, watching as Luke pressed the palm of his hand and then the back of his hand to April's forehead. "Though I can't remember the last time I actually used it, so not sure where it is."

"It's fine," Luke replied, pressing the back of his hand to April's forehead that did feel slightly warm. "April you have a fever."

"I swear, dad, I feel fine," April insisted yet again, the adults not believing her.

Luke sighed, he hated to tell her no on the party since she was so excited but she was sick. "You can't go to the party if you're sick."

"I'm not sick!"

Luke nodded his head, "Yeah, you are sweetie."

While April insisted once again that she was feeling fine and he was only doing this because he didn't want her to go to the party since he was worried that it was a boy/girl party, Lorelai walked up to the young girl using the same method of testing her temperature as Luke did just moments earlier. She agreed that April definitely did have a fever, a slight one, and that the young girl was definitely sick.

"It is! You don't trust me!" April accused when her father repeated that she couldn't go to the party when she was sick.

"Of course I do," Luke tried to reassure his daughter. "Look there will be other parties."

"NO!" April yelled.

"Hon, your dad and I both know you're excited for this party but he's right, you're sick," Lorelai chimed in, speaking softly in an attempt to calm April down. "You really should stay home."

April turned to Lorelai. "You can't tell me what to do, you're not my mother." Her words slightly harsher than she intended.

"I'm not trying to..." Lorelai started to speak but was interrupted by Luke.

"You're not going to speak to Lorelai like that and you're not going to this party," Luke repeated firmly, going as far to jam his finger in the table to prove his point. "Bottom line, you're sick and you're staying home."

"I can go!"

Luke shook his head. "No you can't."

"You suck as a dad!"

April's jarring declaration hung in the air as she marched off to her room right off the kitchen and slammed the door causing both of the adults to flinch. Luke sunk back down into the yellow kitchen chair, letting out a deep breath and hanging his head as the silence reverberated around them. He soon felt a hand stroke up and down his back, stopping to rub small circles to soothe him.

"She hates me."

Lorelai spoke softly, "She doesn't hate you."

"She said that I suck as a dad," Luke replied, he lifted his head to meet Lorelai's gaze.

"You don't suck as a dad," Lorelai said, hoping the reassurance in her tone was enough to convince him.

"She's upset."

Lorelai moved to sit down in the chair beside him. "Of course she's upset. She's a kid who got something taken away from her that she really wanted."

"I'm her father, that's what I have to do. I have to make the call that I think is right," Luke replied, his tone growing slightly more callous as if he was headed in the rant direction. "She's sick so I'm making her stay home, she can't go to the party if she's sick."

"I know that and I'm not saying that you didn't make the right call. There's no blame to you." Lorelai was bit taken aback by the callousness. "You made a decision and you stuck by it, you laid down the rules."

Luke sighed, "Yeah."

"Right," Lorelai replied. "How about you stay here and I'll go to Doose's, pick up some ginger ale for her stomach, something for her fever. Anything else we need?"

Luke shook his head. "No. I got everything when I went. Ginger ale would be good."

"Okay."

He reached out and grabbed her hand as she walked past him, pulling her back to him. "Thank you."

She gave him a small smile, "No problem."

* * *

Later, much later than she intended, Lorelai walked through the front door already rattling off excuses about why it took her so long when Doose's was just a few minutes away from their house. First Doose's was out of ginger ale and getting Taylor or any other employee to check in the back for more was damn near impossible. Then it seemed that all the employees at the pharmacy just disappeared off the face off the earth since she stood in line for what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time before deciding to retreat back to the actual pharmacist and ask him a few questions about what could possibly be wrong with April. Whether it was just a stomachache as April proclaimed or if it was something more.

Lorelai stopped and put the paper bags down when she heard Luke with April in her room trying to make her feel better about missing the party and suggesting activities they could do in place of going to the party. She peeked into the room, noting the young girl looked much paler than she did when she left and by the way she was still acting she was still in pain even if she was still saying that she was fine. She knocked on the frame of the door and gestured for Luke to come out of the room so she could talk with them.

"I asked her if she wanted ginger ale but she still said that she's fine," Luke said as soon as he was out of the room. "Did you get something for her fever because she's really hot now and still holding her side, I don't know what's wrong with her."

"Okay, slow down hon," Lorelai replied. "Did she throw up while I was gone?"

"No."

"Okay. And I know that she hasn't eaten anything bad because she really hasn't eaten all day," Lorelai pointed out. "I did get something for her fever and ginger ale and a few magazines, girly and one science related but I also talked to the pharmacist while I was there. He thinks it might be appendicitis."

"Appendicitis?" Luke echoed. "Why didn't you mention this when you walked in?"

"I was just trying to rule out anything else," Lorelai answered. "I asked the pharmacist just to see if it was something more than a stomachache. He listed the signs of appendicitis and April has those signs, the pain in her right side, fever, she hasn't eaten anything all day. We need to take her to the hospital."

"Okay, okay," Luke replied, not moving from his spot.

Because she knew that he needed to hear it, she added on. "She's going to be okay, we just need to take her to the hospital so the doctors can check her out."

"Right, right," Luke said, still unmoving. That only lasted a few seconds this time though. "I'll get April and we can go in your jeep. Or should we take my truck?"

"Well you're a little nervous right now and panicky because April is sick so I think that I should drive but since you don't like me to drive your truck..."

Luke interrupted, "Your jeep it is."

While Luke went to get April and inform her that they were going to take her to the hospital and there should be no more insisting that she was fine since she clearly wasn't, Lorelai picked up the keys to her jeep yet again to head back out. Seeing Paul Anka curled up on the floor prompted her to pick up her cell phone and call Babette to ask her to watch him while they took April to the hospital. She informed Babette that everything was okay and that word of April being sick didn't need to be spread around Stars Hollow before listing off instructions for Paul Anka and reminding her where the spare key was since she wasn't sure how long they would need to be gone. Before long, they were out the door and headed for the hospital.

* * *

Lorelai sat alone in the hospital waiting room, trying to drown out the sounds of the couple in the corner fighting over whether or not the meter needed to be fed or if they still had time. She was five seconds away from offering to go feed the damn meter herself just to get away from the inane conversation when Luke appeared back by her side snapping his cell-phone shut.

"You get a hold of Anna?" Lorelai asked, turning to look at him as he sat down in the empty spot next to her.

Luke nodded. "It rang a few times but she finally answered. She's on her way now."

"Good." Lorelai rolled her eyes as the couple in the corner started up again about the meter but neither one of them making a move to go check it even though the time had to have run out by now. "In the mood for mocking that couple over there?"

"The meter couple?" Luke inquired. "No thanks, don't even want to think that we could ever end up like them."

"We're not," Lorelai replied, a small grin creeping onto her face. "That's why we must mock. Mocking, it keeps us young. I hear it's the secret of all the biggest celebrities."

Luke arched an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Oh yeah, read _People_ sometime babe, you'll be surprised at some of the beauty secrets. How outrageous some are while some are as simple as mocking." Lorelai poked him in the side, trying just a bit to lighten the mood since they both knew April was going to be okay. "Give into the mocking."

Just as Luke was about the mock, the older man from the couple in the corner stormed off while the presumed wife stayed behind in her seat yelling at him until she was finally quieted down by a nurse on duty. "He left, they're not fighting anymore."

"Thank God," Lorelai sighed, sinking into her seat. She reached out and place her hand over Luke's that rested on the arm rest. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Luke finally replied after a few minutes. "It's a standard procedure, they said it wouldn't take long and then I can see her. I'm...okay."

She gave his hand a squeeze. "Okay. There's nothing worse than taking your kid to the emergency room. You know I remember Rory had food poisoning, and they had to hook her up to an I.V. And she just looked so little and scared. It made me feel like they were gonna have to hook me up to an I.V."

Luke blew out a low breath. "I was almost out of my mind, I was so scared and panicked."

"Like how you offered to give April your appendix until the doctor assured you that she would be fine without it?" Lorelai questioned, the hint of the grin on her face letting him know that she was only teasing.

"Okay, that was a little far," Luke relented. "But I was just so worried."

"It's only natural, you can't help but worry," Lorelai replied. She gave his hand another squeeze until he looked back at her. "Hey, I'm going to look for some coffee. You want anything?"

"No, I'm good. You go get your coffee."

"You sure? I might slip up and find that tea that you love so much."

Luke shook his head, "I'm fine, really. I don't need anything. I'll just stay here and wait for some news on April."

"Okay." Lorelai leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Be back as soon as I can."

Luke watched her leave, only after stopping a nurse to ask her where she could find some coffee in this hospital. The nurse pointed her down a hallway that Luke was certain would lead to a cafeteria before she walked away and resumed her original task. He tried to relax as he waited for word from the doctor on the progress of April's surgery but he had no such luck. The chair was too hard, the man from earlier had come back and started arguing with his wife once again over a completely new topic, and his mind was going in a million different directions.

Most of his thoughts were consumed by his daughter and whether or not she would be okay. Despite reassurance from the doctor that this was a standard procedure and had a very high successful rate, he knew that complications could still arise from the simplest of surgeries. He tried to tell himself that she would be okay because she definitely would be okay and he knew that but the worry was still there and it didn't look like it was going anywhere.

In the back of his mind, he was also concerned with Lorelai and her notion from the night before that there was something that they needed to talk about. He had racked his brain the night before trying to think of what they needed to talk about since Lorelai gave him no hints other than it wasn't bad and it was just something they had to deal with. There was one thing that stuck out to him, one possibility of something that they would need to talk about. Though he wasn't entirely sure of his own idea and surely they would have talked about it sooner, unless it was a recent happening for which they hadn't had much alone time to actually talk. He was just worried that she was keeping something from him even though they promised not to keep anything from one another.

"Any news?"

Luke turned around to find the voice that jolted him out of his thoughts. He found Anna standing off to the side dressed in what to him looked like she had been out on a date when he called. He quickly shook his head. "Uh no. She's still in surgery, no news since I called you."

"Okay." Anna took a seat a few chairs down from Luke. "She didn't tell you she wasn't feeling well?"

"I kept asking her and she kept telling me that she was fine," Luke answered. "But she had a fever and was holding her side then when Lorelai went to the store, she talked to the pharmacist and he thought it was appendicitis so we brought her here."

"We?" Anna questioned, noting the absence of another brunette. "Lorelai didn't want to stick around?"

Luke blew out a low breath. "She's here, she just went to get coffee."

"Right."

Luke didn't want to push it any further and lucky for the both of them, a doctor emerged from behind the double doors and headed in their direction. After mistaking them for husband and wife, and Luke awkwardly explaining that they weren't together but they were both the parents of April and that his fiancée was actually off getting coffee, they received the news that the surgery went great and they would be able to see April in just a few minutes.

As soon as the doctor left the couple promising to send someone when they could see April, Lorelai walked up to the pair of them without her so desired cup of coffee. Instead of commenting on how she couldn't get a decent cup of coffee and whatever the machine spit out definitely wasn't coffee, she greeted Anna and then asked about April.

"The surgery went really great, they got it out, no problem. And she's gonna be fine. And I'm gonna be able to see her pretty soon," Luke answered.

Lorelai smiled, nodding her head. "That's great. I told you she would be fine, she's a trooper."

"You know Luke," Anna spoke up. "I'll stay here with April tonight. Of course you can check in on her but I'll stay here overnight with her."

"No Anna, I have no problem staying with her tonight," Luke replied, swiftly shutting down any idea that he wouldn't stay. "This is still technically my time with her so I'm going to stay tonight. I want to stay with her tonight."

Again, the doctor with impeccable timing came back through the doors announcing that April was now set up in her room and the could go see her if they liked. Since there could only be a couple of people in the room at the moment, as she was just out of surgery, Lorelai thought it best if she hung back allowing the mother and father to go in and check on April first.

* * *

Lorelai walked down the quiet hallway, her eyes drifting over the room numbers as she looked for the one the nurse informed her that April was in now. The nurse had also warned her that visiting hours were almost over so her visit would have to be very brief but she could always come back tomorrow. April's room was placed at the end of the hallway. The door was wide open indicating that Luke was expecting her to drop by since Anna had just left moments ago. Spotting April laid back on the bed sleeping away, she tip-toed into the room as to not make any more noise that she needed to so the young girl wouldn't wake up.

"Hey," Lorelai called quietly since Luke seemed entranced by whatever was on TV. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, she's good," Luke answered. "She was up for a few minutes but groggy, the doctor said that was normal though with the medicine that they gave her. But she's doing great."

"Good, good," Lorelai replied, she sat down in the chair beside Luke and smiled at the television that was attached to the wall when she noticed what had Luke so entranced. "I love this movie."

"Seems like your type of movie," Luke commented, giving her a smile.

"You seemed pretty into it when I walked in," Lorelai retorted, "Are you not a fan? I have the movie at home, we can watch it later. Get the full experience and not just a few minutes."

"We'll have a movie night."

Lorelai grinned. "We'll have a movie night." She intertwined their fingers, enjoying the few moments they had to spend together before she was inevitably kicked out due to visiting hours. "A little you and me time would be great."

"It would," Luke agreed. He knew that this wasn't necessarily the best time but with how things tended to work out for them, now was also as good a time as any. Turning in his chair to face her, he asked. "What was it that you wanted to talk about tonight?"

"Oh we don't have to discuss that tonight. It can't wait."

"No," Luke replied with a shake of his head. "Last night you said there was something we needed to talk about. And I thought about it but I'm not sure what we would need to discuss. What aren't you telling me?"

"It's not like that Luke," Lorelai insisted.

"Then what is it?"

"I want to set a wedding date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

" _I want to set a wedding date."_

Lorelai fell silent, waiting for Luke to answer and then trying to gauge his reaction before he said anything. She did manage to breath a sigh of relief after finally mentioning to Luke what had plagued her mind recently. The more she thought about it, the worse that she felt that she kind of left him hanging the night before with the mentioning of them needing to talk but giving him no clues as to what they needed to talk about. She had only assured him that it was nothing bad. And it wasn't. Right now, in a hospital room with a sleeping April behind them recovering from her surgery would not have topped her list of optimal places to have this conversation but it looked like this would have to be the spot. That is if Luke ever responded to her latest statement.

Luke was silent as well, trying to process what Lorelai had just told him. He wasn't sure why it was such a shock to him because if he real thought about it, he should have expected this conversation to come along sooner or later. This was definitely something that they needed to discuss. But his mind went in a different direction since the night before when Lorelai mentioned that there was something that she needed to talk with him about. He supposed that the stress of the day's events that weighed down on him was the reason for his lack of a response. Or, better yet, his lack of an emotional and understandable response.

"Oh?"

"Oh?" Lorelai immediately repeated. Her brow arched at his tone that seemed to be devoid of any emotion giving her no clues as to what he was thinking. "Any more insight than oh?"

Luke blew out a breath. "I wasn't really expecting this conversation tonight."

"You asked!" Lorelai winced when she realized that she almost shouted the last part. She lowered her voice as not to disturb April. "I know I wanted to have this conversation because I think it's about time we discussed this again and you know that there was something that we needed to talk about. After what happened today, I wasn't going to bring it up. I might have waited until tomorrow but I'm glad you asked."

Luke's response came a few minutes after Lorelai's but it was just a repeat of what Lorelai said earlier. "You want to set a wedding date?"

Lorelai nodded her head slowly. "Yes, that's what I just said." She leaned forward slightly and put a comforting hand on his knee. "I know that a lot happened today and I know you're stressed but we dealt with everything that was thrown our way. And now I think we need to deal with this, talk about setting a date. Our future."

"I know," Luke agreed. And he did. Not that she mentioned it, this conversation popping up now made a lot of sense. "What brought this on now?"

"Besides you asking?" Lorelai quipped.

"Lorelai."

She relented, giving him a smile as she leaned back into her chair. "It's always been in the back of my mind. I mean with my mother dropping her not-so-subtle hints about it, it's hard for me not to think about it. But there were other things that we had to deal with so I didn't want to bring it up then. Then the other night when April asked me when we were going to get married, it just came back to me and brought all these other questions that made me wonder why we're still waiting, why there's no progress."

Luke took in the information. Ever since Lorelai mentioned that April brought it up, he had thought about it a little as well. But at the time, he was more focused on April and adjusting to her now staying with them for a couple of weeks at a time. He was learning how to balance everything and they now seemed to fall into a pretty good rhythm.

"What other questions?" He finally asked.

Before Lorelai had a chance to delve into all of the questions she had in mind about their future plans together, there was a knock at the door followed by a nurse telling her that visiting hours were now officially over and she would need to leave as soon as possible. Lorelai gave the nurse a smile and promised that she would leave soon before she turned back around to face Luke.

"They just have the best timing, don't they?"

"Absolutely," Luke deadpanned.

Lorelai gathered her purse and her coat, standing up as she did so. "And I guess this conversation will have to wait just a little bit longer. Again."

Luke nodded his head, agreeing that they would talk. "We will finish this tomorrow," he told her definitely. He moved to stand up alongside her and because of the expression she wore, he placed his hands on her shoulders and stroked them up and down her arms, and added on, "We will talk about this."

"I know babe." She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling her head against her neck for just a few minutes before the nurse stopped back by and announced again that she really did need to leave now. She chuckled as she pulled away from Luke, "Okay, I really have to go before she comes back with security and throws me out of here."

"The men with the butterfly nets would come for you first."

She lightly brushed her lips against his and smiled when he pressed against her requesting just a little bit more. She gave in, mindful enough so she wouldn't have to be told to leave a third time. "I'll call you in the morning," she said when they parted. "Check in, see if there's anything that you or April need before I drop by."

Luke was going to mention that she didn't have to do that, didn't have to bring anything by, but he knew that would be a useless endeavor. She was going to help in whatever way she could and he thankful for everything she had already done today. Instead he nodded and repeated his words from just minutes earlier that they would talk more tomorrow, when they would have more time and she wouldn't be kicked out of the hospital room for staying past visiting hours. They shared one last, this time short, kiss before she was out the door and chattering away with one of the nurses about when exactly visiting hours were so she would know exactly when she needed to stop by the following morning.

* * *

Lorelai closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the bath pillow she had positioned just right for optimal relaxation during a bubble bath. When she bought it on a shopping venture with Luke, he deemed it a frivolous purchase, just another thing that she didn't need but said was needed and ended up spending money on. But on days like today, with Michel yammering on endlessly and accusing guests of stealing bathrobes and Sookie accidentally hurting one of her kitchen helpers, the bath pillow was definitely not frivolous and an absolute necessity for trying to relax. That and the heaping mount of birthday cake scented bubble bath she poured into the bathtub.

Her day had started out fine. She dropped by the hospital with plenty of magazines, both girly and science, to keep April entertained until she recovered and was released from the hospital. Of course, she also brought along April's school books, as requested by the young girl herself, so she didn't fall behind in any of her classes. There were also a few other items thrown into the bag of stuff she brought April that would help keep her from being bored in the hospital. She even stuck around for awhile, promising Luke that it would be fine if he left to go home and shower because she and April needed some girl time.

When she finally managed to get Luke to head home for at least a few minutes to shower, Lorelai broke out the nail polish and started to give her a colorful manicure. She was touched when April apologized for her words from the night before, making it clear that she really didn't mean what she said and that she knew that they were only trying to help. She hugged April, assuring her that she knew that she didn't mean what she said and that Luke understood that as well. Things became a little awkward after that since Anna stopped by to check in on her daughter and Lorelai wondered when things would not be awkward between them. Not that she expected to be close friends with her.

Luke came back not long after he initially left and it was then that Lorelai received a phone call from Michel informing her that even if it was her day off from the Inn, that he still needed her to be there as he was having difficulty with certain guests. Since Luke was going to spend the day with April at the hospital anyways, she decided to put in time at the Inn even if it meant listening to Michel's complaints about certain guests and then dealing with those certain guests herself only to find out that Michel was being dramatic. With that weighing on her mind as well as the impending talk with Luke that they agreed would happen tonight, the stress began to build up and request that she take a bubble bath to relax as soon as she could. Plus it was a nice distraction until Luke got home tonight.

She was just contemplating which scent of bath salts would go with her bubble bath when she heard Luke calling out for her. She called back letting him know where she was and that he was free to join her in the bath if he so desired. When she heard him approaching and figured that he was within hearing range, she started to ramble on about her day and the reasons that led her to taking a bubble bath as soon as she got home, before she even had the chance to have dinner no less.

"Sounds like a long day," Luke commented, entering the bathroom he leaned against the wall closest to the bathtub.

"The longest," Lorelai sighed. She moved her hand through the bubbles, rippling the water underneath. "How is April? I was going to call and check in this afternoon but it slipped my mind."

"Good, good, she's doing great," Luke replied. "Today the doctor only wanted her to eat soft foods so it's been ice cream all day. She's happy."

Lorelai couldn't help the surprised look that came across her face. "And you didn't have an aneurysm?"

"I slipped in a little frozen yogurt, break up the ice cream cycle," Luke answered. "Anna brought her soup when she came up there, she promised to make her eat that instead of ice cream for dinner tonight."

"There we go, there's the Luke I know." She moved, draping her arm across the ledge of the bathtub and propping her head up on her arm. "Are you going back to the hospital to stay with April tonight or is Anna going to stay up there?"

When Luke moved to sit down on the ledge of the bath tub, she pretended to be offended and tried to cover herself with the bubbles that remained before she laughed and then relaxed back into her original position while Luke spoke to her. "Anna wanted to stay with her tonight. I figured that worked out because I could be home tonight and we could talk."

Lorelai smiled at him. "That works for me." She swirled the bubbles in the tub around, gathering them over herself as her smile curved into a wanton expression. "Before that though and since it's not a bathroom conversation, do you want to join me?"

Luke chuckled. "What is a bathroom conversation?"

"You didn't answer my question."

He moved closer to her, smiling as he did so. He brought his hand to the side of her face, cupping it gently before closing the space between them and moving his lips overs hers in a fierce kiss. When he felt her bring her hands up to his shirt tugging him closer while she gave back as good as she got, he pulled back. Of course he wanted to continue this but the rational side of him, damn that part, told him that this could wait. At least until after the conversation they were set to have, the one that he had thought about today while April rested and the one that he was ready to discuss.

He had a smirk on his face while she pouted. "Later."

"Tease," she accused, sinking back down into her rapidly dissolving bubbles. "I'm here covered in bubbles and yet you refuse me."

"And you have no idea how hard it it."

A megawatt grin spread across her face, "Wow, dirty! Extremely dirty."

"Jeez," Luke groaned.

"You started it." Her bath water was steadily turning cold and with the very sparse bubbles, it was no longer relaxing. "Hand me a towel?"

Luke did as requested, grabbing the table she had set out and passing it to her as she stood up from her relaxed position. She quickly wrapped herself up in the towel, claiming that if he was going to refuse her, he wasn't going to get a chance to peek at the goods. Luke offered his arm as leverage so she didn't slip on the tiled floor. While she moved past him him and into their bedroom where she started to hunt around for clothes, he announced that he was going downstairs to whip them up something for dinner. Before he left the room to head downstairs, she informed him that there was plenty of food in the fridge so he was off the hook for preparing them dinner.

Minutes later, Lorelai headed downstairs dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top with a hoodie placed on top. She entered the kitchen to find a bouquet of flowers lying down in the middle of the table. She smiled. It was an arrangement of colorful daisies. Her favorite. She picked them up and brought them up to her face.

"What are these?"

Luke turned around to see what she was talking about. "Oh. I just wanted to thank you for helping out yesterday and this morning. So I bought you flowers."

"They're lovely," Lorelai complimented. She moved towards him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

While Lorelai set about finding a vase for her flowers, Luke began to remove the covered dishes from the refrigerator even though he had no idea where they came from. They were definitely not in there the night before. Each dish had a small, brightly colored note attached to the top with very specific instructions attached to the top.

"I thought when you said there was plenty of food in here, you were referring to leftovers or the take-out you ordered, not this," Luke said, holding up a tupperware container with a bright orange sticky note attached to the top.

"When I told Sookie about April this morning, she set her mind on making dishes for us to help out. I told her it wasn't necessary at all but once she has a whisk in her hand, you can't tell her no." She gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides who am I to refuse free food?"

"She knows that April isn't here to eat the food and that I do know how to cook, right?"

"Of course she knows that babe," Lorelai replied. "But just in case you weren't home tonight, she wanted to make sure I would be fed."

Luke opened up a couple of containers and started to read the directions. "This is enough food for a couple of days."

"I tried to tell her no." Lorelai grabbed a vase down from the cabinet close to the sink and started to fill it up with water before she dropped the flowers in. "But she wanted to help out in a way and her way of helping out always involves food. She's a great friend."

Luke had to agree. Though he didn't quite agree with the town meddling in his business of April being in the hospital. While no one had stopped by, he had received phone calls from a few townies who wanted to check in on April and also chat about everything under the sun while trying to make actual plans to come by the hospital. He refused them though, saying that April needed her rest and she wouldn't get that rest with that many visitors.

Lorelai tried her best to follow the directions left by Sookie while she helped Luke prepare a few of the dishes that Sookie had sent over. Their dinner was an assortment of food, ranging from the magic risotto to some sort of chicken dish that Sookie wanted to try out and requested in-depth reviews on as soon as possible. They chatted throughout dinner, Luke filling her in on a little more news about April and how she did apologize to him as well for insisting that he wasn't a good dad. The topic of marriage and setting a date was on the back burner for the moment.

After dinner and once the kitchen was cleaned, the two adults moved to the living room. Lorelai curled up next to Luke on the couch, the tv was playing in the background but neither one of them were really paying attention to the show that was on. Instead they were both in their own heads, wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Luke looked down when he felt movement by his side, he noticed Lorelai toying with her engagement ring. He took her left hand in his, his thumb rubbed across the band. "You know that we're getting married. I want to marry you," he said in his best reassuring tone.

"I know that hon and I'm not worried about it eventually happening," Lorelai stressed. "I just..." she trailed off as she pushed up from the couch and began to pace back and forth around the living room. "I just don't know what we're waiting for anymore. I mean I'm not saying that we have to run to the courthouse tomorrow and get married, I just don't know what's holding us back now."

"Well I don't think you can get married in the courthouse on Sunday," Luke replied earning him a look from Lorelai that made him wish that he didn't say anything. "Sorry."

"I'm not upset," Lorelai clarified. "I mean, not at you, not over that."

Luke looked up at her. "When you told me that April asked you about the wedding, I remember you saying you were fine that we didn't have plans yet."

"I remember what I said." She blew out a breath and plopped down unceremoniously on the chair across from the couch. "I know that we're going to get married, I just don't want to feel like it's never going to happen. I hated feeling like that and I don't want to go back."

"We're not going to go back."

"But we're not going back and at this point, we're not going forward. We're stuck. Right in the middle," Lorelai replied. "And not the middle that I envisioned for us. I know we've dealt with a lot over the past few months but things are settling down now. Personally, I think it's time we start planning for our future."

Luke remained silent, nodding along as she spoke so she knew that he was listening and trying to process everything that she was saying as fast as he could. They had roadblocks up, preventing them from moving forward though he couldn't come up with why they weren't moving forward. Postponement number one came from wanting to make things right from Rory, postponement number two came from the stunning news that he was a father and needing the time to clear his mind because everything was piling up, and this time...this time wasn't a postponement. Not really anyways. More of a subject that had been pushed aside and despite their improving communication skills had remained in a box of their future plans.

Lorelai moved back to the couch, feeling like the ball in a ping-pong game with all her back and forth movement. She placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled when he turned towards her. "I'm ready Luke. I really am. I've been ready. I want to start the next phase of my life with you. I want a future with you, a wedding," she blinked when a few tears threatened to fall. "A kid or two. I want all of that with you. Don't you?"

"Two kids?" Luke asked.

Lorelai couldn't help the chuckle that burst forth from her lips caused by the look on his face, a mixture of wonderment, confusion, and happiness. "Well maybe just one, we'll see how we do with the first one. If that one works out, then we'll talk about another one."

He used the pad of his thumb to brush away a tear on her cheek. His voice was soft as he spoke. "I want all of that with you too Lorelai."

"But..."

"But?" Luke questioned, the confusion evident on his face.

"I just sensed there was going to be a but at the end of that sentence."

Luke shook his head. "No. Not unless there needs to be one."

"What about April?" Lorelai asked. "I know before you were worried about her, you had to consider her, and fitting her into our lives."

"I was a little blindsided last night when you mentioned it but I had some time to think today. Which was a good way to get my mind of being in a hospital room," Luke pointed out to which Lorelai nodded, knowing his aversion to hospitals. "I know what I said before but having April staying here and being able to spend time with her changes that, I know how she fits into our lives. You've been helpful with her and she likes it here. I don't have those same concerns anymore."

"You have handled everything well that's been thrown your way recently."

"I had your help."

"Which is why you handled it well," Lorelai teased. "If we're both on the same page then what are we waiting for?"

Luke shrugged his shoulders and gave a shake of his head. "I don't know."

A smile grew on her face that quickly turned into a laugh. "So we both don't know why we're still waiting, if there's no reason to wait, but we're still waiting?"

Luke took a moment before replying as he tried to decipher her sentence. "I think so."

She took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. "Our future then?"

"Kids would be good," Luke answered.

"They would," she grinned. "And while we're both not getting younger in that aspect, I think we should discuss actually getting married first. Preferably, I would want kids to come after we're married."

"Kids can come after," Luke agreed. "I don't know what I was waiting on before but I'm ready now. I don't want to wait anymore. I'm ready for all of that with you Lorelai."

"Moving forward? Setting a date?"

"Do you have a date in mind?"

"Not at all," Lorelai said with a shake of her head and a laugh. "But we're doing this now? Actually going to plan a wedding, no postponements?"

"I don't know much about wedding planning," Luke answered. He smiled now too. "We should set a date."

"I'll check my date book in the morning." She had a grin on her face as she leaned back to lay down on the couch, pulling Luke back with her. "Because right now we have the house to ourselves and there was something started earlier that needs to be finished."

Luke moved against her, his weight pressing her down into the couch before he brought his lips down to hers more than happy to now fulfill his promise of 'later'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the reviews/kudos. they mean a lot!


	23. Chapter 23

Luke lightly knocked on the door to April's room then waited for a few minutes for any semblance of a response that she was awake, which he got in the form of her saying 'I'm up,', before he announced that her breakfast was ready. After her surgery, she had stayed in the hospital recovering for two days before she was released with doctor's orders to take it easy and maybe stay home from school for a few days to allow her body to recover further. Orders that Luke had followed strictly by allowing her to sleep in later than usual, keeping a close eye on her and going to school to pick up her missed work so she wouldn't fall behind in her absent days. And even though she said she wanted to go back to school because she did feel better, he was still holding off.

He turned away from the door and grabbed her breakfast plate, oatmeal and a small bowl of mixed fruit, and set it down on the table next to Lorelai's plate which sported the slight difference of her bowl of oatmeal being piled high with whipped cream. The can of whipped cream had not been on the table in the few minutes that he turned his back to her. When she noticed him staring, she just gave him a sweet smile.

"If you're going to insist that I eat this bowl of mush, I'm going to do it my way," Lorelai said as if he should have already known this was going to happen.

"I'm trying to keep you healthy," Luke replied, grabbing the can of whipped cream and putting it back in the refrigerator before she could complain. "Keep you around longer."

"Aw babe, I'm not going anywhere for a long, long time," she replied, taking the time to smile at him before shoving a whole spoonful of what he was pretty sure was entirely whipped cream into her mouth. His response was one of disgust.

She gestured for him to join her at the table and pointed out the few bridal/wedding magazines she had open as what she wanted to discuss. He sat down next to her, grabbing the fruit bowl he prepared for her because he was fooling himself to believe that she was going to eat it all, and silently looked at the magazines with her. Not long after they had agreed to set a date and after getting distracted by other activities, he made it clear that he wanted to be a part of at least some of the planning this time around because despite what she or anyone else though, he was interested. He might now know a lot about weddings or the planning aspect behind them but he was interested. While Lorelai didn't need convincing that he should be involved, she reminded him that Sookie might have a harder time letting go of some of the reigns since the time before she declared herself as B-F-O-T-B, best friend of the bride, and booted him from the planning.

"So I checked and there's a few dates open at the inn during the spring and summer if we wanted to have the wedding there," Lorelai spoke up, idly switching between flipping through the magazine and glancing up at Luke. "Not that we have to have the wedding there though it can be an option if we want it to be. And since the town found out that we're now planning, Taylor made sure I knew that if we wanted to have it in the town square that there are several ordinances that we would have to deal with first."

"I say the less Taylor has to do with our wedding planning, the better," Luke replied.

Lorelai smiled at that. "While I agree that I don't want to deal with Taylor, the town square could be nice. It has the gazebo and plenty of room for the reception afterward. Though if we decide to do it there then it should probably be when the weather is warmer. I was already thinking Spring or Summer anyways because that gives us enough time to plan without waiting a long time. What do you think? Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall? And not the song but for us."

Luke waited a moment before answering. "I think we could forget all the planning and just head to the courthouse tomorrow."

She chuckled, not being able to tell if he as entirely serious or just joking. "I'm not entirely opposed to that plan and I may suggest it later if planning gets crazy but I do want to celebrate with the town."

"Insane town," Luke elaborated.

"Crazy, bonkers town that sees me buying a wedding magazine and automatically inserts themselves into the planning, but our town," Lorelai replied. "And I want to celebrate with them. Come on, you know it wouldn't feel right if they weren't there. Besides you're the one that wanted in on the planning."

Luke sighed, "I guess." He wouldn't admit that it wouldn't feel right without the town there even though he was open to the idea of eloping. The town might never forgive them if they were to pull that on them.

She patted his hand and smiled. "Good. Now we really need to decide when this wedding is actually going to happen."

Before any further plans could be made though no plans had been made at all besides Lorelai setting up a time with Rory and Sookie to begin the actual heavy planning, April opened up the door to her room and joined them at the table for breakfast. Lorelai, of course, told April that she wanted her involved in the wedding planning as well, that is if she wanted to do it. Despite having no real opinions on anything wedding related and just happy to be involved, she agreed to help in any way that she could. Emily was still in the dark about the actual planning of the wedding but with their somewhat improved relationship, Lorelai made a mental note to tell her soon.

Lorelai pushed her half-eaten bowl of oatmeal away and begrudgingly accepted the bowl of fruit that Luke had pilfered and picked off of while flipping through a magazine section dealing with bridesmaid's dresses. "So April, I have a question for you."

April looked up from her breakfast. "What's going on?"

Lorelai looked to Luke first who gave a subtle nod of his head, already knowing what she was going to ask. There was no question to Rory being her Maid of Honor and she even referred to her as that when she called to tell her that the planning was back on but there was still the unanswered question if April wanted to be involved in the wedding party as well. Lorelai was more than happy to have her as a bridesmaid and suggested the idea to Luke who agreed that it was a good idea but thought they should ask if she wanted to do it first.

"Well as everyone knows a bride is nothing without her bridesmaids," Lorelai started to say only to be interrupted by Luke.

"The groom is important too."

Lorelai rolled her eyes yet had a grin on her face. "I think he's feeling left out," she informed her soon to be step-daughter nodded her head in agreement. "Anyways, as a soon to be bride, I need my bridesmaids. I already have Rory and Sookie lined up so I was wondering if you wanted to be a bridesmaid too. It would meant a lot to your father and me if you were a part of our wedding too."

"I kind of thought that I already was," April replied hesitantly. Noting the confused look on both of the adult's face, she went on to explain herself. "I just thought when you asked me to be a part of a planning that meant also being a part of the wedding, being a bridesmaid."

"Oh," Lorelai laughed, finally clued in. "No...I mean of course I want you to be a part of both. I just wanted to make sure that you wanted to do it, I didn't want to assume."

"Because you know what they say when you assume," April chimed in.

Knowing the phrase himself and having used it a time or two before, Luke turned to his daughter. "Don't say it."

"Okay, Dad," April said pointedly while trying not to laugh. "Being a bridesmaid means wearing a dress, right?"

"Typically," Lorelai answered. "And I know you're not big on dresses at all but I promise it will be a dress that you won't hate. Picking the dress definitely falls under your part in the wedding planning."

April nodded her head. "I'll do it."

"Thanks kid," Lorelai replied sincerely. Pushing the last of her breakfast away and gathering up the magazines, she got up from the table. "Okay, now I really have to get to the inn but more wedding plans can be discussed later."

She planted a goodbye kiss on Luke's lips then moved to April and gave her a hug as best as she could with the younger girl sitting down all while telling her again how much it meant to her that she agreed to be a part of the wedding. After saying goodbye to Paul Anka as well and asking for Luke's help to find her keys that ended up being stuck in the couch cushions, she was finally out the door and headed to The Dragonfly leaving Luke and April alone.

After helping Lorelai find her keys and saying goodbye to her again at the door, Luke walked back into the kitchen and began to clean up her breakfast mess. April still sat at the table working on her breakfast though he did notice that she had went to her room for her textbook in the time that he was gone. He dumped what Lorelai didn't eat in the trash then placed the dishes in the sink to clean them later once April was done with her breakfast.

"If I rest all day today and since I'm feeling better, can I finally go back to school tomorrow?" April asked.

Luke sighed, turning away from the sink to face his daughter. "I'm not sure April. I know you're ready to go back but I just don't want you to push yourself too much. You just had surgery, you need your rest."

"I know that and I've been resting, that's all I've done. I finished the schoolwork that was sent home and I have rested, I slept a lot," April reminded him. "I do feel better, honestly. I'm ready to go back."

"I'll think about it," Luke said after a few minutes of contemplation. "Not promising anything but I'll think about, we'll see how you feel in the morning."

April nodded her head. "Okay. I'll accept that."

Luke chuckled at that then reminded April to finish her breakfast and that included the fruit because she needed her nutrients if she was going to get better. She followed the reminder before turning her attention back to her science book. Lorelai had informed him that Rory was exactly the same way every time she got sick when it concerned school, she was anxious to get back and hated being out of school for even a day. Then lovingly referred to them as their nerdy kids. He didn't tell her how much it meant to hear her refer to their individual kids as theirs, he thought she might know.

* * *

At the Dragonfly, Lorelai worked along side Michel and occasionally flipped through the wedding and bridal magazines she brought from him, taking the time to dog-ear pages that she thought would be helpful in her planning. Although much like the first time around in her early planning stages, not much had been decided on at this point. She tried to involve Michel but unlike Sookie who almost passed out from hyperventilating when Lorelai told her that planning was back on, he wasn't as thrilled and was pessimistic about whether or not this wedding was going to happen. She assured him that it most definitely was going to happen and that nothing was going to stand in their way but he pointed out what happened this first time around as his excuse for not believing a word she said. Though his skepticism was alleviated in the slightest amount when Lorelai reminded him that she could schedule him to work whenever she wanted despite his request for certain days off.

"Must you plan your wedding while you're at work?" Michel asked after hanging up the phone that Lorelai ordered him to answer while she flipped through a magazine.

"I'm working too," Lorelai defended herself. "I just happen to be getting ideas of what I might want and what I definitely don't want in my downtime at work. I'm just delegating some things to you so you don't lose that fabulous work ethic."

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm," Michel replied dryly.

"I don't appreciate you not appreciating my sarcasm."

Michel rolled his eyes. "I'm not getting into this with you."

"Because I'll win," Lorelai said. She closed the magazine she was currently flipping through and started to check the datebook again. This time, she copied the dates down that the Dragonfly had open onto a spare sheet of paper. "Also remember Michel that I'm giving you a chance to jump in on the wedding planning, I don't want this to be one of the times where you accuse us of not involving you in our lives."

Michel huffed even though he wasn't mad and was kind of looking forward to helping out with the planning. He just couldn't let Lorelai know that because she might use it to her advantage. "I can help a little, I suppose. If I must."

"No one said you had to help Michel."

Michel mumbled something about how she was pestering him but her focus went to the front desk phone that chose that time to ring. Instead of putting it off on Michel again, though it was part of his job description, she scooped up the phone and pressed it to her ear. She greeted the person on the other end with customary Dragonfly Inn greetings and was met with her mother's voice.

"Hey Mom, what's going on?"

"I was just planning out dinner for Friday Night when I realized I had no idea whether or not you were going to be there," Emily replied. "Rory made it clear that she was going to be there but as usual, I don't know about you."

Lorelai bit her tongue, wasn't worth it to mention that this was the first time her mom asked her about dinner this week and it was usually a set thing every week unless something came up. "Well you can count me in, I'll be there."

"Okay, and what about Luke and April? April is still staying with you and Luke, isn't she? Will they be joining your for dinner?" Emily listed off her questions. "I do need to know beforehand so I can make sure there is enough prepared for everyone and that it will be something that April will enjoy."

Lorelai hesitated for a few seconds, there hadn't been much talk of Friday Night dinners recently and April's involvement in them. "I'm not sure Mom, I think I would need to talk to Luke about it. See if he can be there Friday night."

"You do realize that your father and I have to meet April at some point, don't you?" Emily questioned.

Lorelai could imagine the look on her mother's face as she asked that question. "Of course I do and you and dad will meet her. I'm just not sure if it will be this Friday."

Emily sighed dramatically before giving her response. "Well I suppose we can meet her at the wedding, whenever that will be. You will let us meet her before she goes off to college, won't you?"

"I'll talk with Luke about dinner this Friday and let you know as soon as I can," Lorelai replied. She looked up to see Sookie standing in the front desk and silently demanding her attention. She held up her finger to let her friend know that she would be off the phone as soon as possible. "Mom, I do have to get back to work but I will let you know as soon as I can about dinner."

"I won't wait by the phone."

Lorelai shook her head at her mother's response before hanging up the phone. As soon as she set the phone down, Sookie moved behind the front desk, grabbed her hand, and started to lead her in the direction of the kitchen. Sookie was talking a mile a minute and despite the fact that she spoke fast as well and could understand others that spoke fast, she could barely make out a word that Sookie was saying. However as soon as she entered the kitchen, Sookie's incoherent words suddenly made sense. Throughout the kitchen were mini versions of cake, all varying in style and flavors at least according to Sookie.

"What is going on in here?"

"Testing for your wedding cake!" Sookie squealed excitedly, picking up a fork from the counter and stabbing into a chocolate cake.

"Sookie, we haven't even picked a date yet. We have zero plans," Lorelai replied. Still she accepted the fork with cake on it from Sookie. She was never one to shy away from cake.

"That doesn't mean you can't decide on the cake! That is a coffee infused chocolate cake with an espresso buttercream," Sookie said, referring to the cake that Lorelai had just put into her mouth.

Lorelai hummed in satisfaction before going back for another bite of cake. "I'm totally a fan of this one. I want to marry this cake." She paused long enough to take another bite. "But I'm not sure if it's a wedding cake."

"It might not be a traditional wedding cake but it can be your wedding cake," Sookie replied. She took the fork from her friend and poked it into another cake, lemon raspberry. "I am making the cake, right?" She gasped. "Have you decided that I'm not making the cake?"

"You're the only one I trust to make this cake," Lorelai said to soothe her friend. "No one else would get that job. I just don't know if I can decide on the cake at the minute. Luke does want to be a part of the planning."

"He's a guy, he doesn't have any interest in the planning."

"Actually he does," Lorelai corrected. "He said that he wants to be a part of planning this time around."

Sookie poked her bottom lip out in the slightest way. "Like he knows anything about floral arrangements."

Lorelai stifled a laugh, "No one said he has to be in charge of the flowers. Cake tasting he may want to be a part of though."

"He doesn't even eat cake!" Sookie exclaimed. "He doesn't like sweets."

"He'll eat this cake," Lorelai replied. She poked around at another mini cake whose flavor she was unsure of but it was decorated with white frosting. "I'm not kicking you out of the planning or anything because you're still a major part of this but Luke wants to be a part of it too. Plus we can plan some of this in the diner so it's easy to get his opinion."

"Fine," Sookie relented after just a few moments. "I guess he can be a part of the planning."

"For his own wedding, imagine that." She picked at the mini cakes some more, switching between flavors for a few minutes and listening to Sookie describe each one. "You know, I think this is going to be my favorite part of wedding planning."

"The cake testing?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai nodded her head, "It's definitely the most delicious part."

Sookie giggled then clasped her hands together. "Well I have plenty more ideas! I'm also doing the catering, right, not just the cake?" she asked to which Lorelai nodded. "Good. Because I have ideas for that menu too! You need to decide on a date so I'll know what's in season."

"I know, I know," Lorelai replied. "And I'm working on that. I'm thinking Spring or Summer, because that's not too far away but gives us enough time to plan. No solid date yet though."

"Then you can have the wedding outside, Luke always seemed like an outdoor wedding type of guy." She leaned down on the counter next to her friend. "I wonder what his ideas for planning will be? Did you tell him that he can't wear that baseball cap to the wedding? I won't allow that."

"Sookie, I'm sure he knows that a wedding means no backwards baseballs caps."

"Are you sure? Have you checked to make sure it's not permanently attached to his head lately?"

Lorelai laughed. "I'm sure Sookie. He's not like he wears it all the time. He doesn't wear it in the shower, in bed, or when we go out somewhere. He won't wear it to the wedding."

"Just making sure." Sookie moved away from her friend only to turn right back around to face her. "Also no flannel."

"You do realize this is my wedding, right?" Lorelai asked.

"I know but the groom can't wear flannel, that's not a wedding."

"Your groom wore a skirt," Lorelai pointed out.

"Technically, it was a kilt. And that was a tradition."

"I know. As attached as Luke may be to his flannel and baseball cap, I'm sure that even his idea won't be to wear them to the wedding," Lorelai replied. "And if it is, that idea is going to be vetoed quickly."

The two women sat in silence for a few minutes until Sookie squealed loudly, startling her kitchen staff and nearly causing one of them to cut himself with a knife. She startled Lorelai too just because she was glad to finally being a part of Lorelai's wedding planning that she was assured several times that it was going to happen this time. While she enjoyed a cup of coffee, Lorelai remained in the kitchen with Sookie going over wedding plans as best they could when Lorelai wasn't making any commitments to anything right now.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner and more sampling of cake since Sookie sent all of it home with Lorelai with orders to maybe get Luke's opinions so the cakes wouldn't go to waste, Luke and Lorelai sat on the couch relaxing with one another. The television played on in the background but neither one of them were focused on it instead they talked about their days, Luke's day at home with April since he took off from the diner and Lorelai's day at the inn that involved talks of wedding planning and tales about the various guests that never failed to be entertaining. April had retired to her room not long ago, claiming that if she was going to be allowed to go back to school the next day that she would need plenty of rest as well as a little refreshment over the work she missed.

Lorelai leaned back onto Luke while they relaxed on the couch, she intertwined her hand with his and lazily stroked over the rough skin. She tilted her head back just enough to look at him. "So my mom called about Friday Night dinner today, she wanted to know if you and April would be there. I told her that I wasn't sure."

Luke's response wasn't immediate but she knew by the furrow in his brow that he was thinking so she waited patiently. "We've talked about this before."

She nodded. "I know. And I thought we were under the agreement that we would take April over there one night so my parents can get to know here."

"No, no, we are," Luke replied a bit faster than the last time when he felt that she misunderstood what he was trying to say. "Your parents should get to know her, she asked about them before and said she would be willing to go over there."

"I know, you told me."

"Do you think we should?" he asked.

"I think that my parents do want to meet her. Mom wanted to make sure that dinner was something that April would like, but I think the decision should be up to you, you're her father," Lorelai replied. "If you don't want her to right now then I'll explain it to my parents. They'll have to understand."

Again, his response wasn't immediate. He was thinking. "I think we should do it."

She arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really," Luke confirmed. "I think April should meet your parents since we are getting married. Might as well go ahead and do it, if it doesn't go well then we'll deal with that."

"I know how my parents can be but I don't think it's going to go bad. They really want to get to know her," Lorelai replied. Then suddenly it was as if a light bulb went off in her head. "I have an idea."

"I'm not going to get you more cake."

"Not that, although that might be good." Lorelai leaned forward then turned around so she was fully facing him. "What if we do it here?"

"Here? Our house?" Luke questioned. "You want to willingly invite your parents over?"

"Well I was thinking that my parent's house can be uncomfortable for some, with the maids and everything, but if we have it here it will just be like dinners we already have just with the inclusion of my parents," Lorelai answered. "Emily might not go for it at first since dinners are her thing, but maybe just this once to introduce April to them."

"It's not a bad idea."

"You know this means that you have to cook, right?"

"Well I know that you're not going to cook," Luke replied. "You really think your parents are going to go for this?"

She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, "It's an option, something different for one time. They can go along with it. I think it will be a nice way to introduce April to them."

"Our table isn't big enough to fit everyone."

"We'll figure something out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you're still enjoying! Thanks for the love!


	24. Chapter 24

As Lorelai came to a stop at the bottom of the staircase, she gave the living room a quick once-over. And then a twice-over. Then, just for good measure, her eyes scanned over the living room again for anything that might normally be her personal taste mingled with Luke's but that would get a sneer of disapproval from her mother and anything that could easily be stored in the hall closet for the night. Not that she was hiding everything in her house, just hiding some of the normal clutter that came from a very lived-in house. Even though he knew the way Emily could be sometimes, Luke declared the idea as ridiculous because this was their home and they shouldn't have to hide anything from anyone in their own house. Lorelai carefully reminded him that this was her mother who found faults with everything so the less she had to talk about, the less being the home décor, the easier their first meeting with April would go. Still he claimed the idea as ridiculous.

Satisfied that there weren't nearly as many unmatched and whimsical throw pillows thrown about and magazines that her mother regularly referred to as trashy, Lorelai stepped off the bottom step of the staircase and made her way into the kitchen. Dinner already smelled amazing and she was certain that her parents were going to love the dishes that Luke was busy prepared even if they were weary about his cooking skills out of the realm of the diner. Which Luke also worried about over the course of the past few days which led to Lorelai assuring him that all of his food was amazing, even the vegetables that she claimed not to like. She walked up behind him while he was busy at the stove and wound her arms around his waist. She snuggled up to him for a few seconds then dropped a kiss onto the soft, worn flannel that stretched over his shoulder.

"Cleared everything out of the house?" Luke asked, turning his head just enough to look at her over his shoulder.

"Ha-ha," Lorelai deadpanned. She unwound her arms from around his waist and stepped to the side though the space was limited with the addition of a small, extra table to accommodate everyone for dinner. "I didn't clear everything out, just let a few things go on vacation to the hall closet for the night. You know my parents, it's easier this way. Things can go smoother when they meet April."

"Whatever you think will help," Luke replied though, again, he thought the hiding of certain things was ridiculous and unnecessary.

She pressed her hip into the counter and watched his precise movements as he chopped up some fresh herbs. "Everything going okay in here?"

Luke nodded in response. "Everything is good. Dinner is coming along just great."

"Well it smells amazing," Lorelai complimented with a bright smile as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "This might be a one-time only thing and spectacularly bad idea but thank you."

"We agreed on the idea," he reminded her.

"But it was my idea first."

"So if anything goes wrong tonight, the blame is on you?"

"Not what I was saying."

He grinned at the almost offended look on her face. "Kidding." His hand went to her hip and drew her closer to him. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before going back to his cooking. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. You said it yourself, you're getting along with your parents better."

"As weird as that may be," Lorelai replied. This wasn't the worst idea she ever had but with her parents she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop and knew how quickly things could go sour. "And they're meeting April tonight, which they wanted to do, so I'm sure they'll be on their best behavior. She's a spectacular kid, they'll be impressed."

He couldn't help but smile at that. "That she is."

"But the whole idea of hosting dinner in our house..."

"Our house is fine," Luke gently interrupted her. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"Yes it is," Lorelai agreed, though she could admit that their kitchen was a little small for hosting dinner with their kids and her parents. She noted the absence of a curly haired girl at the kitchen table. "Where did April go?"

Luke used his head to gesture in the direction of April's room. "She had some homework that she wanted to get done before the weekend."

"Of course." She squeezed past him and the added table and headed to the refrigerator to check if there were any last minute things they needed before dinner tonight. Instead she was met with the sight of one of her favorite desserts."You made cheesecake for tonight?" she asked, the surprise evident in her tone. While they did have dessert after dinner some nights when Luke cooked at home, it wasn't every time, and some nights it was just her wanting dessert which would end up being leftover pie from the diner.

"Your parents always serve dessert after dinner, I figured it wouldn't hurt to whip something up," Luke replied like the answer should have been obvious. "I made it earlier this morning. I'll serve it with coffee after dinner."

"You are the perfect man," Lorelai gushed in a higher voice than usual then moved to stand back by his side. "Although I would also suggest that we could keep the cheesecake for ourselves and tonight once this whole debacle is over, we can feed it to each other in bed."

"Which really would be me feeding it to you."

"I would never say no to that."

"The cheesecake is for after dinner," Luke said. His tone was final but somewhat betrayed when he mentioned that while the dessert was for after dinner, it would be up to them to decide what to do if they should be any leftover and he would gladly feed it to her in bed.

She smiled at him. "Good to know."

Her reply was quickly followed by the sound of the front door opening and the sound of Rory's voice announcing that she was home. Lorelai called back to let her daughter know that they were in the kitchen. When Rory appeared in the kitchen, announcing that Paul Anka was sitting on the table again which she disapproved of, Lorelai walked away from Luke's side and wrapped her daughter up in a tight hug declaring that it had been far too long since they saw each other even if it was just last Friday. She also went for the dramatics and announced it had been far too long since they last spoke even though their last phone call was just earlier this morning.

"Hey Luke," Rory greeted her soon-to-be stepfather as soon as her mom stopped hugging her and she could breathe again. "Dinner smells great."

"Thanks Rory."

Rory looked away from Luke then to her mom who was now sitting down at the kitchen table, or one of the kitchen tables since another one had been added since the last time she was home. "Two tables?" she questioned, taking the seat opposite of her mom.

"Well this table is only big enough for four and we needed more room for the night so Luke brought home a table from the diner," Lorelai informed her daughter.

"So now the diner is missing a table?" Rory asked.

"Just for a few hours," Luke jumped in at that moment. "We needed the extra place settings."

"Even if it means barely no space in the kitchen now which is definitely something I can already hear your grandmother complaining about," Lorelai said as she looked at her daughter. "How this house is too small for everyone and we'll need extra space eventually."

"I still want to know how you managed to convince grandma and grandpa to come over here for dinner," Rory confessed. "Grandma just doesn't give up her dinners that easily. I remember very elaborate lies you tried to concoct to get out of dinner. How did you even do it?"

Lorelai gave a shrug of her shoulders and answered honestly. "I have no idea. Just a lot of talking to her on the phone, suggesting my idea, trying to convince her that it was great and if they follow through with it then they could meet April. It took a lot of work, left me exhausted but I eventually wore her down. Your grandmother is a very stubborn woman."

"She takes after her daughter that way," Rory quipped to which Lorelai acted offended. At the mention of April, she noticed that the younger girl was not in the kitchen with them. "Speaking of April, where is she at?"

"Her room," Lorelai answered. Noticing the look that Rory gave her, she quickly tacked on, "I mean your room." It was Luke's turn to give her a look that was similar to Rory's. "I mean her room that was your room but while she's here, I call it her room but it will always be your room too." With both of them now looking at her mixed with her own slight confusion, she began to grow frustrated. "What I'm saying is, is that she is in that room right off the kitchen."

Rory bit back a laugh, "I knew what you meant Mom. I was just trying to mess with you. And it looks like it worked."

Though she did find it weird when her mother instinctively referred to the room as April's room, it made sense and she was more than happy to share her room with her younger, soon-to-be step-sister, especially seeing as she didn't spend as much time at home these days. Still the weirdness remained that it was no longer just her room. Knowing that her mom said April added her own personal touch to the room, she wanted to sneak a peek into the room to see exactly what changed.

"You should be nice to your mommy, you only have one," Lorelai commented. "Besides you're the stubborn one."

"Nuh-uh," Rory said, disagreeing with her mother.

"Yeah-uh."

"Nuh-uh."

Luke interrupted just as Lorelai was about to speak again. "Don't. With you two this could go on forever."

"Fine," Lorelai sighed. "Besides, I need to be caught up on all the latest happenings with you that haven't been discussed over the phone. Or things that have been discussed over the phone that I might need a refresher on. How's school, Logan, experienced a Paris freak-out yet? Update me on everything before your grandparents get here and you tell them whatever they want to know."

While Rory did as requested and started to update her mother on everything going on in her life, choosing to start with Logan and how their relationship was going with him still out of the country, Luke continued cooking in the background as he listened to Rory's latest updates as well. Though he mainly chose to remain silent, he did add a few comments in here and there while he prepared their dinner. Choosing to keep the menu to something that was favorable to most, he went with lemon-garlic herb rubbed chicken breasts with brown rice and asparagus. Simple yet proving that he can definitely cook more than just diner food which apparently seemed to be a concern of Emily's when Lorelai was trying to convince them that dinner at their house on Friday wouldn't be that big of a deal.

With his own experiences at the Elder Gilmore house, especially the first couple of times he went for dinner over there, he was a little nervous over how they were going to treat April. Though since April was younger and she was a pretty impressive kid, in his opinion and Lorelai's, he didn't see the night going too terribly. Plus they had the advantage of being in their own home which was naturally a more relaxing environment than the Elder Gilmore house.

* * *

A little later that night after a wardrobe change by Luke and an averted fashion crisis for April thanks to Lorelai and Rory, they were set for the Elder Gilmores' arrival. Luke remained in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner while Lorelai and Rory gave April the run-down on her parents, telling her that there was nothing to worry about but to be prepared for a myriad of questions since they were trying to get to know her. But if she were too uncomfortable with a question then she didn't have to answer though Lorelai didn't think that would be the case since her parents seemed genuine about truly wanting to get to know April and being in her life.

When the doorbell rang, Lorelai had the urge to shout 'come in' since she did that with some other visitors but since this was her parents, she got up from the couch where she sat with April and Rory and made her way to the front door all the while being accompanied by Paul Anka. When she opened the door for her parents, he backed away and sat down next to her, watching as two new people joined them.

"Hey Mom, Dad," Lorelai greeted as they stepped across the threshold and into the house. "Can I take your coats?"

"Hello Lorelai," Richard greeted followed by a greeting from Emily as they both took off their coats and handed them to Lorelai.

Lorelai hung their coats up on the coat rack before guiding them to the living room and calling out to tell Luke that her parents were know here and he should join them in the living room for a moment. She earned a look of disapproval from her mother for yelling in the house and almost right into her ear but she apologized for the noise before making a face behind her mother's back. Luke quickly joined them greeting Richard and Emily before moving to stand beside April in order to introduce her.

"Richard, Emily," Luke said after being told that the Mr. and Mrs. wasn't necessary. "This is my daughter, April. April these are Lorelai's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore."

April was the first one to speak. "Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore."

"It's very nice to finally meet you as well, we've heard many great things about you April," Emily replied. "You may call me Emily."

"And you may call me Richard," Richard replied before repeating his wife's sentiments about how nice it was to meet her.

While Rory and April took their places back on the couch, Richard opted for the armchair across from the couch, and though it took a moment of decision, Emily decided to join the girls on the couch, sitting down beside Rory which left April on Rory's other side. Luke announced that he was going to go check in on dinner since it should only be a few more minutes and since there was no other seating available, at least one that wasn't the coffee table or the chair at the desk, Lorelai decided to keep standing.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Emily asked when she noticed that Lorelai hadn't moved.

"Where would you like me to sit?" Lorelai questioned. "Not too much seating in here at the moment."

"Hm maybe you should rethink that, get another chair in here or something. That way you'll have plenty of space when you have company," Emily suggested.

"As soon as the living room expands, I'll get right on that Mom," Lorelai replied. "While we're waiting on dinner, anyone need a drink?"

The group quickly listed off their drink orders and Lorelai disappeared into the kitchen to fulfill their requests. Once she was gone, Paul Anka wandered into the living room and debated about where he was going to sit before finally choosing to lay down on the floor next to the couch. Emily looked down at the dog at her feet and quickly shifted away from him so no dog hair would get on her shoes before she turned her focus back to April.

"So April, how's school going?" Emily asked.

"School's great," April answered. "I only went back a couple of days ago because of my surgery and Dad was worried that I would work too much but I managed to finish all my work and I even think I aced my math test today."

"That's great, I'm sure you did fine," Emily replied even though it wasn't the most pressing matter. "You had surgery recently?"

April nodded her head in response. "It wasn't anything too major, I had to have my appendix out but I feel a lot better. I just have to take it easy and not go to my swim team practice for a little while."

Emily locked eyes with her daughter when she re-entered the room and began to distribute their drinks. "I wasn't aware that you had surgery April but I'm glad you're feeling better. You seem to have recovered well."

When April replied that she was feeling a lot better though her dad was still a little worried about her, Lorelai silently cursed herself when she knew that there was something that she didn't tell her mom. She just thought it was the fact that she and Luke had started planning for their wedding. She didn't even think to mention that April had surgery recently to her parents. And know her mother was going to think that she was keeping things from her. Which in a way she did, just not on purpose.

Lorelai cleared her throat effectively halting the conversation for now. "Now that you have your drinks, don't put them down just yet because Luke just told me that dinner is ready so we can head into the kitchen."

With that, she swiftly turned onto her heel and headed into the kitchen without waiting to check if anyone was following her. Everyone followed soon after but not without comments from both Richard and Emily about how small and crowded the kitchen was with the additional table that Lorelai in turn insisted was needed to have them over for dinner. She managed to dodge a couple more comments on the size of the kitchen and the mismatched tables while helping Luke serve everyone once they were all seated.

"Dinner looks great Luke," Richard complimented.

"Thank you Richard," Luke replied. "I know for a fact that it's a meal Lorelai likes, figured it would be a good one to try tonight."

"I should definitely try to come home more when Luke is cooking," Rory interjected as she was already digging into her meal. "While I do love take-out, there's only so much of it and cafeteria food I can take."

Luke gave a nod of his head at her words. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," Lorelai advised, "She's choosing your food over take-out, doesn't happen often."

"This is really good," Emily complimented, a few bites missing from her plate. She took a sip of her drink before focusing again on April who sat at the additional table with Rory. "So April, we've heard a little about you from your father and Lorelai but tell us something else. What do you like to do? What are you interested in? You mentioned a swim team earlier?"

More than happy to talk about her interests, April began to wax lyrical about her schooling and how she was enjoying the eight grade so far. Rory jumped in the conversation as well asking April what her favorite subject was in school and though their favorites differed, English for Rory and Science for April, they still shared a similar love of learning that they could bond over. Richard and Emily both appeared to be fascinated over her love of science, asking different questions on why it was her favorite and if she had already thought of any future careers in science and the steps it would take to get there. That came mainly from Richard just because he couldn't help but ask.

After almost exhausting her opinions on school, the attention was diverted just a tiny bit away from April when Rory started to catch up her grandparents on the recent goings-on in her life. Though April didn't play stranger and remain silent to that conversation since she wanted to know a little about Yale and her room's former and sometimes still occupant/soon to be older step-sister. They hadn't been able to spend much time together but Rory promised that they would try to spend some time together as soon as they both had free time.

Conversation freely flowed throughout dinner and both Lorelai and Luke's worries were alleviated in the slightest bit when none of the Elder Gilmore's comments towards April were in any way biting or the least bit condescending. As Emily had stated before, they did truly want to get to know her. Though Luke wasn't big on the talk of April possibly switching schools and going to Chilton once she got into high school since April really didn't seem big on the idea herself. But with Lorelai's help, that topic was quickly dismissed when she started to feed Paul Anka from her plate, which of course drew the attention of Emily who scolded her daughter for feeding the dog food that was meant for people and for feeding him from the same fork she ate with.

"Okay, I don't think dinner went that bad," Lorelai spoke in a low voice as she helped Luke clear the plates from the table once everyone had finished eating and headed into the living room where they decided to serve dessert and coffee in just a few minutes.

"No, it didn't," Luke agreed, taking plates that Lorelai held out and setting them down in the sink. "It wasn't bad at all."

"My parents were on better behavior than usual tonight," Lorelai commented. "I mean aside from a few comments from my mom but those were directed at me, which is what usually happens anyway."

"They did seem pretty impressed with April."

Lorelai smiled, "Well you have a pretty impressive daughter."

"I do," Luke agreed. "Help me with dessert?"

"Of course babe."

Back in the living room, the other four had taken up the same seats as before. Even Paul Anka decided that his resting place would once again be next to none other than Emily. Rory had laughed when he noticed Paul Anka nudging her grandma's hand a few attempts in an attempt to be petted which Emily simply refused to do and tried to put some distance between herself and the dog. He eventually gave up and curled up at her feet once again.

"I mean the real reason I get to do so many events is because everyone on my team pretty much stinks," April claimed as she continued to fill in Richard and Emily on bits of her life that now involved her swim team.

"I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure you're a great swimmer," Richard refuted.

"It's true." April gave a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm fine with it. I like swimming, I like being on the team. And I can always improve."

"That's a good attitude to have," Richard replied. "And when you're older and applying to colleges, it's good to have activities outside of school."

"Well at least you made a sports team. I'm not athletic at all," Rory decided to speak up at that time.

"Can you swim?" April asked.

Rory nodded her head. "I can keep afloat."

"That is the first step," April replied.

"A good one," Rory agreed.

Emily was distracted from the conversation by the dog at her feet. He had started to move, pulling something out from underneath the couch that with the angle that he was at, hit the back of her heels every time he moved. She shuffled her feet out the way and watched as he pulled out a few magazines out from underneath the couch. The covers of the magazines were all facing up and by the glossy print and pictures, she made them out to be bridal magazines. Curiosity got that best of her. That and not wanting the dog to rip up the magazines all across the living room as she figured he would do. She reached down and retrieved the magazines.

While the others went on to talk about a rock polisher, something that April obviously wanted by cool she claimed they were, she started to flip through the magazines. Her curiosity was heightened even more when she noticed that a few pages of one of the magazines was dog-eared and littered with post-it notes that had wedding ideas scribbled on them in her daughter's handwriting. She noted a few dates that all had question marks by them and wondered what they meant though she really knew that they could only mean one thing. But the last she heard, her daughter and Luke weren't busy planning anything for their wedding.

Just a few moments after she picked up the magazines, Lorelai appeared in the living room bearing coffee. She was quick to notice that her mother had found the magazines she tried to stash away. They were a last minute stash away brought to her attention by Rory because, ironically, she didn't want her mother to find them before she had a chance to tell her that she had officially started wedding planning. Well her, Luke, Rory, Sookie, and April had officially started planning. She had meant to bring it up at dinner but between April and Rory dominating most of the conversation with her parents, there just wasn't the time. Lorelai quickly passed out cups of coffee to her father and Rory from the tray she held in her hand and announced there was cream and sugar available if needed.

Being able to read the look in her mother's eyes and not wanting to cause an unnecessary scene, Lorelai asked her mother if they could speak outside for just a moment. When Emily pointed out that it was cold outside and they could have the conversation here, Lorelai insisted that they would just wear their coats and they would have coffee to warm them up once they came inside because their conversation would not take long at all. Before Luke could make it in with the cheesecake, the mother and daughter pair were in their coats and out the front door to the porch.

"Why on Earth did you insist we speak outside?" Emily asked as soon as Lorelai shut the front door behind her.

"Less chances that voices will carry inside so this is just between me and you," Lorelai answered. She came to a stop in front of her mother. "Well me, you, Babette's gnomes, and maybe Babette because she likes anything that she can gossip about."

"I'm not sure what we even need to talk about."

"Come on Mom, you know." When her mother still pretended not to know, though the look in her eyes said differently, she continued on. "About those magazines..."

"It seems clear to me. You decided to start planning your wedding and you also decided to hide it from me."

"I wasn't hiding it from you," Lorelai insisted.

"Right, because I do remember reading that the latest way to store your magazines is to shove them underneath the couch. Oh how silly of me to forget," Emily replied sternly. "Then you didn't bother to tell your father and I about April having surgery, you're just going right back to shutting us out of your lives."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared down at the ground. "It's not like that, I swear Mom."

"Then tell me what it is like Lorelai."

Lorelai blew out a breath and moved away from her mother. She braced her arms on the porch railing and leaned against it, staring out into the yard. "Because I'm not always sure how to tell you things Mom." She paused. "I know we've talked before and you were there for me when I really needed someone but I still don't always know how to tell you things."

Emily crossed the porch and stood behind her daughter. "What do you mean by that?"

"It means that as soon as I did share this with you, you would have tried to take over all the planning," Lorelai said when she turned around to face her mother. "You've made it clear several times that you already have certain plans for me and all you really needed was the go-ahead. You even tried to plan all of Sookie's wedding."

"I see the problem now, you don't want my help at all."

She shook her head, "That's not what I'm saying at all."

"Certainly sounds like it."

"Well it's not," Lorelai repeated. "Your plans did sound great, they really did. But for Luke and me, it's a little too much. Plus your plans are strictly for a winter wedding and Luke and I hadn't planned for that at all. Your plans just wouldn't work."

"What are you planning?" Emily asked.

Lorelai gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, "I don't know. I mean we have talked more about a Spring/Summer wedding, maybe more Summer because that gives us enough time to planned without being rushed but it's also kind of soon so our engagement doesn't stretch on forever."

"A summer wedding isn't what I had in mind for you but I suppose it could be nice," Emily tried to go along with her daughter. "Did you have any other plans?"

"We were thinking maybe the inn, it's a beautiful spot," Lorelai smiled at the idea. "Or the town square."

"The town square? Really Lorelai? And your reception hall will be the diner?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "It's just an option Mom, and yes, the town square could be beautiful."

"I suppose it could be. It does have that lovely gazebo," Emily replied as if she was actually pondering the idea.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "Look I wasn't trying to keep you out of the planning. I was going to tell you that Luke and I had decided to move forward with plans, things have just been crazy lately. I wasn't keeping this from you. I had planned to tell you."

Emily was silent for far too long for Lorelai's liking. But when she spoke again, Lorelai let out a sigh of relief. "I believe you Lorelai."

Lorelai gave a quick nod of her head, "Good. Thank you. In fact, I was going to ask you to help with the planning."

"You were?" Emily asked, she couldn't even mask the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah Mom." When she saw that her mother was going to respond, "But you do have to remember that this is my wedding. Mine and Luke's. You can't take over. Feel free to lay any ideas on the table, but this is about me and Luke, he's helping with the planning too."

"He wants to help with the planning?"

"As a matter of fact he does. He made that very clear to me since he was pushed out of the planning the first time around," Lorelai answered. "So that means that I don't want you to try and force us into something that you want or that you envisioned for me. None of that is really Luke and he needs some say in the wedding. Do we have a deal?"

Emily fell quiet again and as soon as Lorelai was going to head back inside, she spoke up. "We have a deal."

A small smile crossed Lorelai's face. "Good."

"On one condition though."

"You cannot make a condition on my deal."

"Says who?"

"Says who?" Lorelai parroted. "Says the universe. I had a deal. You can't make a condition on that. I already had my own conditions, you cannot add more on top of that."

"You said deal, not condition."

Lorelai closed her eyes, ran her hands down her face and groaned. "Fine," she said as she opened her eyes. "What's your condition?"

"I was in contact with my realtor recently. That house I showed you is still available, though I'm not sure for how much longer because there is another couple that might be interested. I would like for you and Luke to consider letting your father and I buy you that house as a wedding present," Emily replied.

"We already have a house," Lorelai pointed out. "We're standing on the porch right now."

"I know that Lorelai. But this house is far too small if you and Luke want to expand your family. It's already too small now, what if Rory wanted to stay the night while April was over, you don't have places for both of them. I'm sure this house was fine for you and Rory but you're getting married, Luke has April, and if you want another kid, you need more space."

"Okay," Lorelai responded as soon as her mother stopped talking. "I'm not promising anything because I love this house. But I will talk with Luke about this again."

"You will?"

"Yes," Lorelai answered. "Now can we get back inside because Luke has cheesecake with dessert and he promised to serve it with coffee and he makes the best coffee. So are we done here?"

"You're the one that we insisted we come out here in the first place," Emily pointed out.

"Then it should be my decision when we head back inside and I say we head back inside now. I'm freezing my ass off out here."

Emily let out an exasperated sigh. "Language Lorelai."

She side-stepped by her mother and headed towards the door, "Fine, I'm freezing my tookus off, is that better?"

"Just head inside Lorelai."

Inside, Lorelai and Emily joined the rest of the family for a much warmer atmosphere. Luke, who had been talking to Richard when they first walked in, excused himself and made his way over to Lorelai as Emily took a seat back on the couch. He placed his hand on her arm and gently guided her just out of view of everyone else.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Everything's fine babe, no worries," Lorelai assured him. "My mom and I just needed to talk about something, decided not around everyone else might be better. She agreed to help plan the wedding."

"How many people are planning our wedding now?"

She laughed at that. "When word gets out, the whole town might jump on the wedding planning committee."

"Jeez," Luke murmured.

"It'll be fine hon," Lorelai promised. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Now I need some coffee."

"Let's get back in there."

* * *

After cheesecake and coffee and plenty of conversation that even dipped a little into wedding planning which was really just tossing around a few dates to see which one fit them as a couple, the Friday Night dinner ended much later than usual. While Lorelai and Luke were showing the Gilmores out, Rory and April headed back to their room so Rory could check out the space that was now also April's.

"She's a lovely girl," Emily complimented as Richard helped her into her coat. "You should be very proud Luke."

"I am very proud," Luke admitted. "Thank you Emily."

"Emily's right," Richard joined in the conversation. "April is a smart young lady."

"That she is," Lorelai agreed. She was a step behind her parents as they started to head out the door. "We'll see you next Friday for dinner."

"Which we'll be at our house," Emily reminded her. "This was nice but we'll continue dinners at our house."

"Wouldn't have expected any less," Lorelai replied. She smiled as Paul Anka walked up beside her. "Mom, aren't you going to say goodbye to your new friend? I think he's going to miss you."

"He got dog hair all over my skirt. Now it's going to get in your father's car," Emily said. "Remember what we talked about Lorelai."

"I remember."

Goodbyes were exchanged once more before the Elder Gilmores were finally out the door and headed to their car. Luke shut the door behind them and went to find Lorelai since she was gone from his side as soon as her parents exited the house. It didn't take him long to follow the giggles that emanated from the room off the kitchen. He poked his head in the door to find all three of his girls sitting on the bed.

"Movie night?" Lorelai suggested. "I don't think it's too late for at least one classic."

"I would if I could but I think I should really head back to New Haven," Rory said reluctantly. "It's getting late and I'm getting tired."

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked. "I can make up the couch for you, that way you can spend the night here and you don't have to head home right now."

"I'm sure. I don't think I could survive a night on that couch," Rory replied. "We'll reschedule a movie night though."

"Okay," Lorelai accepted the answer. Rory decided to leave at that time, stopping to give her mother a kiss on the cheek before she left and promised to be back soon for wedding planning when her mother needed her. "What about you April, you up for movie night?"

The young girl stretched and then yawned. "I'm not sure if I could make it through a movie. It was a long day at school."

"And you do need your rest," Luke chimed in from the doorway. "You're still recovering."

"We'll have movie night next time I come to visit," April suggested.

"Sounds good," Lorelai got up from the bed. "Goodnight kid."

She left the room as Luke stepped in to say goodnight to April. She headed into the living room and tidied up the few things that were out of place. Though it wasn't much as they did a good job of cleaning up right after dessert. It was just a few seconds later that she was joined by Luke. She smiled when she felt his arms wrap around her from behind.

"What about you?" She asked. "Movie night?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of going to bed."

She turned around in his arms and covered his lips with hers. "Go get the rest of the cheesecake and I'll meet you up there."

"Happy to do it."

"Dirty."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking with this story!


	25. Chapter 25

Luke stood at the counter meticulously wiping down the surface and occasionally glancing up at the two women who currently commandeered two of the diner's tables. As if they had planned it right down to the minute, and he was convinced that they did, just mere seconds after the lunch rush ended and the diner began to clear out for it's late lunch patrons, Lorelai and Sookie arrived and announced their presence by pushing two tables together and placing their lunch order. When he tried to protest, and he did, Lorelai assured him that they wouldn't be in the way of his business as his afternoon lull was coming up and this was the best way to jump into planning that he wanted to be a part of since they could easily wave him over to ask his opinion. He couldn't really argue with that and made them promise that as soon as one of the tables that they were using was needed that they could give it up for actual paying customers. She gave her promise in the form of a smile.

Their planning in the diner involved calling him over anytime they needed his opinion, Lorelai trying to discreetly make phone calls to Rory to ask her opinion since she couldn't be there in person, and the occasional townsfolk that happened to be in the diner dropping by the table to offer their opinion. Since April had left a few days earlier, she couldn't be there for planning but Lorelai planned to fill her in the next time she called. He even had to shoo Lane away from the table a couple of times since Lorelai and Sookie shanghaied his employee to talk wedding plans with her. When he asked about Emily since he knew that she was going to be a part of the planning as well, Lorelai reminded him that they had weekly dinners at which she was sure her mother would present ideas and then there were the phone calls Emily had started to make during the week, so she was still a part of the planning without being physically there at the moment.

He stored the rag underneath the counter and reach for the coffee pot behind him figuring that at this point they would need a refill. Stepping out from behind the counter, he walked over to the pressed together tables which seated Lorelai, Sookie, and a vast amount of wedding plans. As he approached, he held he coffee pot in plenty of view.

"Refill?"

"Do you have to ask?"

That reply came from Lorelai as her fingers curled around the handle of the up and she lifted it up to him. The cup was easily filled as was Sookie's, though she requested decaf which required an extra trip back to the counter. As he turned back to head back to the counter and the other customers, he was pulled back to the table by Lorelai who had a binder open in front of her with several magazines articles slipped in plastic coverings.

"So," Lorelai began as a beaming smile stretched across her face. "You know how we haven't really decided on a date yet because we're still not sure where to hold the wedding?" she asked.

Luke nodded his head. "Yes."

"Well..." Lorelai started to say but was interrupted by Sookie squealing.

"We know the place!"

"Sookie," Lorelai cut her friend off. "Let me."

Sookie pretended to zip her lips then throw away the key before she bobbed her head up and down excitedly and gestured for Lorelai to go on and tell him.

"Anyways," Lorelai said tilting her head up to look at Luke. "I know we discussed the town square but I really think we should do it at the Dragonfly. We have dates open and I think it will be perfect."

"It's where you had your first kiss!" Sookie couldn't help herself.

Luke blushed and Lorelai emphasized, "And second kiss." She gave his hand a squeeze, "It is a special place for us but more than that, we've thrown beautiful weddings there before. We have plenty of space for the ceremony and the reception, of course we'll bring the chuppah in and use it in the ceremony. You invested in the inn, in me, and I think it will be perfect for our wedding. And I have an in with the owner so I can get it for practically nothing. What do you think?"

"I think The Dragonfly sounds great," Luke answered her question.

"Great but not perfect?" Sookie immediately questioned.

"Ignore her," Lorelai ordered but promised Sookie that she wasn't being mean, she just wanted Luke's opinion without any sway from her. "So what do you think?"

He avoided Sookie's questioning gaze and focused on Lorelai. "I think we should get married at the Dragonfly." He knelt down so he was just speaking to her. "It was your dream and you worked hard for it. Let's get married there."

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Dragonfly it is then." She braced her hand on him and helped him back up to a standing position, making an 'old man' comment when she heard the sound of his joints popping. Then she gestured to shoo him away from the table. "You're free to go back to work now, that's all I needed."

"Remember if a customer comes in and needs this table -"

Lorelai spoke up, finishing his sentence, "Then we'll give up the table. At least one of them. I remember the rules."

"Good."

When Luke walked over to a table to ask the patrons if anything was needed, Lorelai returned to the task at hand which now meant documenting the official location of their wedding. She scribbled the location down under a list of possible dates in her official wedding notebook. When she heard a clapping together of hands and an excited squeal that she knew could only belong to Sookie, she looked up and across the table at her friend.

"Oh you two are cute!" Sookie exclaimed. "This is going to be a great wedding."

"And I agree on both things but we've barely begun planning Sookie. We have a location, that's it," Lorelai pointed out. "And a vague semblance of a date."

"We have more than that," Sookie argued. "We already know who's doing the wedding cake and food, that's me," she said excitedly. "And you already have your dress."

Lorelai nodded her head though she was having second thoughts about the dress. "I do have a dress," she confirmed.

"The perfect dress," Sookie detailed.

"Is is really perfect?" Lorelai asked.

Her second thoughts about the dress came a few days ago when she was home alone and was excited to try on the dress now that they were actually moving forward with plans for the wedding but when she did try on the dress, she was disappointed that she didn't get the same feeling she had the day she bought it. She was in a weird place that existed between liking it to wondering why she ever thought it was the perfect dress.

"You said it was the perfect dress," Sookie reminded her. "And it's looks so beautiful on you."

"I know." She sighed softly. "I just...I'm not sure anymore."

"Sure about what? The dress?" Sookie asked and Lorelai nodded. "Come on Lorelai, don't do this. Don't back out of this, don't tell me you're thinking about not going through with the planning."

Lorelai looked to Luke who was busy with a customer at the cash register to see if he overhead but there was no indication that he did. She knew she had to act quick before Sookie started to hyperventilate. Again.

"Don't freak-out Sookie. I'm going through with the planning. There's no doubt about that. I just might not like the dress as much as I did when I bought it."

Sookie looked like she was going to pout at this point. "But it's perfect."

"I don't know." She gave a shake of her head like that would clear the uncertainty about the dress. "Maybe I'll try it on again later, see how it feels this time. Maybe I was just having a weird day when I tried it on."

"I'm sure that was it. Try it on again," Sookie agreed with a smile. "I'm sure you'll love it again."

Minutes later, Sookie checked her watch and regretfully informed Lorelai that she had head home even though she would like to stay behind and help with the planning. Lorelai helped her friend out the door, reminding her that she did have to get home to her family and considering that they did work together, they could technically plan some of the wedding on the inn's time. Once Sookie was gone, Lorelai gathered the wedding planning supplies and stacked the binders on top of one another while moving the tables back into their original position. When finished, she tucked the binders underneath her arm and headed towards the counter.

"Headed home now?" Luke asked when Lorelai approached the counter and stood directly across from him.

Lorelai shook her head. "I think I'm going to head to the inn for a bi. Check the dates there again, scope out the place for our wedding, see if I can annoy Michel into helping me plan because he acts like he doesn't want to but the second we exclude him, he'll want to be involved. He'll get jealous."

"How many people are going to plan our wedding? Isn't that our job?" Luke asked.

"Yes, but it's also the bride's daughter, the groom's daughter, the best friend, the mother, the co-worker/friend, and every person in Stars Hollow that wants a convenient date for all," Lorelai listed off.

"We don't need to plan around them."

"I know babe."

Luke sighed and repeated information that he was bombarded with earlier. "But Babette made it clear that July won't work for her. Anytime before that is good though."

"The whole month?"

Luke nodded the confirmation and Lorelai briefly set down the wedding planners binders in her arms to scribble down the note.

With the note down in her planner, she leaned across the counter and was met halfway by him. She pulled back after he pecked her lips. "See you at home hon."

Luke tossed a 'see ya at home' back at her as she tucked her wedding planning binders back under her arms and headed towards the diner door. She gave him one last smile over her shoulder before she was out the door and headed towards her jeep on the way to the inn to annoy Michel into helping.

* * *

Arriving at home after a couple of hours at the Dragonfly, Lorelai was met by Paul Anka who she promptly fed and then fled the room since he was still self-conscious about people watching him eat. On the way out of the kitchen, she stopped and checked the messages that the blinking red light indicated that she had. There was only one, from her mother, informing her that she could have wedding planners set up as well as tastings and demonstrations for table placements and decorations, all it would require was a call back. She deleted the message and told herself to call her mother back soon to stop her from going overboard since it seemed that's were this was already headed.

She headed up the stairs and into the bedroom and them immediately over to the open closet doors. She slid her hands into the rack of clothes and pushed in two different directions, splitting them apart until the wardrobe bag that held her wedding dress was revealed. She pulled it out and hung it on the back of the door. Her fingers gripped the zipper and slid it down the length of the bag exposing blush-colored bodice followed by the tulle of a similar color. She slipped the dress out of the bag and hung it on the back of the door to look at it in all of it's glory.

Her fingers caressed the material that she once loved and swore was the perfect dress, Luke even said it was perfect -well she was perfect but she was in the dress at the time- but now she didn't feel like she felt nearly a year ago when the dress had been purchased. With their decision to have a spring or summer wedding, a strapless dress should have been perfect but she found that it no longer made her smile like it did before. Stepping back from the dress, she stripped off her jeans and sweater and dropped them into a pile on the floor. She pulled the dress from the hanger, unzipped it, then slipped it over her body.

Once it was zipped and the veil was in place, she moved over to her full length mirror. Her hands ran down the fabric, smoothing it in places that really didn't need to be smoothed down. She slowly turned from side-to-side and examined herself in the mirror. She even turned completely around and angled her head over her shoulder to get a back view of the dress. None of it really helped since she didn't like what was looking back at her. The dress being the problem. She thought it fit her like a glove so that wasn't the problem. No, now she had problems with the crystal beading along the bodice that seemed to be interspersed with what looked like flowers. The blush tulle no longer flowed like she thought it did before, and the cream, satin sash seemed out of place.

She turned her head when she heard the click-clack against the flooring that let her know Paul Anka had decided to join her in the room. She watched as she crossed the room and decided to sit next to her, almost sitting on the train of the dress.

"What do you think?" she asked him and only received a blank stare back. "You know you could at least do something so I know that you're listening to me."

Paul Anka continued to stare.

Lorelai turned back to the mirror and adjusted the veil on her head. She wasn't sure if it was her hairstyle, which was just looser curls than normal, but even the veil seemed out of place. She spent a few minutes adjusting it, brushing her hair to the side and then putting it to the back and then holding it up in an up-do to see if that made any difference but she found it still looked out of place.

"My head might be too big for a veil," Lorelai commented aloud. She looked down at Paul Anka, "But do not let my mother know I said that, she's the one that made that comment in the first place."

Paul Anka blinked at that moment and she took it as a sign of recognition that he was actually listening to her.

She spent a few more minutes trying to convince herself that did love this dress and that it was perfect but it was to no avail. Deflated, she marched back over to the bed and collapsed onto the mattress still clothed in the dress. She heard Paul Anka root around in the closet before leaving her alone in the bedroom.

That's where Luke found her several minutes later when he walked into the bedroom after calling her name several times when he entered the house. When he saw that she was in her wedding dress, he tried to back out of the room despite the fact that he already saw her in the dress once before but she called him back in.

"I don't think I like this dress anymore," Lorelai confessed when Luke sat next to her on the bed where she lay. She turned on her side, propped herself up on her elbow, and stared up at him. "There's something wrong with it."

Luke brought his hand to the side of her face, he gently ran his fingers over the smooth skin of her cheek. "You look beautiful."

His hand fell away as she sat up and crossed the room to stand in front of the full-length mirror again. "I don't know." She let out an exasperated sigh. "I loved it when I bought. I really did, now I just don't know. It doesn't feel right."

Luke walked up behind her, his eyes locked with hers in the mirror. "Are you happy with this dress?"

She answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I think you look perfect," Luke whispered in her ear. "But I want you to be happy. I like to see you happy."

She leaned back against him and his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist. She studied their reflection in the mirror. In her mind Luke wasn't wearing the red flannel that she thought looked so good on him, instead he was wearing a tux that she imagined for their wedding day. It was evident then that the dress no longer worked, it was no longer her perfect dress. She had no qualms with returning as she might have had before, instead the idea of going dress shopping again thrilled her. This time she could invite more than just Sookie and make a whole day of dress shopping. And this time Luke wouldn't see the dress before the big day.

"Take a good look at this dress," Lorelai said as she removed herself from Luke's arms and turned around to face him. "Because it's going back. This is no longer my dress."

"As long as you're happy."

"I am babe," Lorelai assured him with a smile. "And just for an extra precaution, the next dress I buy for our wedding you will not see until the moment I walk down the aisle."

Luke nodded his head. "Fair enough."

"I thought so."

He pressed a kiss to her lips then announced that he was going to get started on dinner and maybe make a phone call just to check in since he last spoke to her the day that Anna picked her up from their house. Once alone, Lorelai took one last look and at herself in the wedding dress and smiled knowing that she was perfectly happy with not using this dress that she once thought was perfect. All she had to do know was inform everyone else that her first wedding dress was out and there would be a need to go dress shopping in their near future. Of course, it would have to wait until it was their weeks with April again since her future step-daughter needed to be included.

Out of the wedding dress and back in her jeans and sweater, Lorelai headed downstairs and found Luke on the phone while simultaneously getting the supplies from their dinner out of the refrigerator. Once he said goodbye to his daughter, Lorelai took the phone just to chat for a few minutes about the young girl's school and friend drama and the details of the wedding planning that had been discussed so far. Their conversation was short and soon Lorelai put the phone back where it belonged and returned to the kitchen.

"So speaking of April – or really to April," Lorelai started as she made her way over to the counter where Luke was busy chopping veggies. "There's something that I should talk to you about, something my mother brought up the other night when they were over."

"Okay," Luke gave a nod of his head and continued to prepare their dinner. "What's going on?"

"Remember how I told you before that my parents wanted to buy us a house as a wedding present?" Lorelai asked. When Luke nodded his head again, she continued on. "Well as is turns out, that house is still available and my mother wants us to give it another shot; think about it again."

"What did you say?" Luke asked.

"Well first I told her that we had a house and then I told her that I would talk to you about this," Lorelai answered. "She said she spoke with her realtor and there's another couple that is interested so if there was a chance we wanted it, that decision should be made soon."

"Are we interested in that house?" Luke questioned. "We already have a house, this house. We renovated for more room."

"And that's what I told her when she brought it up again," Lorelai pointed out. "And I love this house, believe me, no one loves this house more than I do. But she did make a few good points about how little space we have here. Like this past weekend, Rory couldn't stay with us because there was no room. I love April staying here but I also wanted Rory to be able to stay too. It would be great to have them both here at the same time."

"It would," Luke agreed. "Especially since you wanted movie night."

"Yeah, but more than just movie night."

Luke stopped what he was doing and moved to stand in front of Lorelai. "I know. It would be nice to have them both here at the same time, let them spend time together too. Do you want this other house?"

"I don't know," she honestly answered. "I mean I really do love this house and there's so many memories here but maybe we do need something bigger," she admitted softly. "We've talked about wanting kids and with April's visits and Rory's, we don't have enough room here. Unless we just have develop a system to have one kid in here at a time. Though I don't know how that will work if we had a baby."

Luke chuckled. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Well it couldn't hurt to at least look at the house. It doesn't mean we have to move in there. We could just go look and then tell your mother we don't want it, if we don't."

"Yeah," Lorelai sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt."

He noticed the solemn expression on her face. "We don't have to though."

She quickly shook her head, "No, it's not that. From the pictures it looks very nice. I think we should look at it."

"Then what is it?" Luke prompted.

"Just the thought of possibly not living here anymore, like when we had to leave the potting shed behind." She remained quiet for a minute then let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. "No need to worry about that now, we're just talking about looking at a house."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine babe. Really," she added on when she thought that he didn't believe her. "I'm okay Luke."

"Just checking."

"I know."

With that, Lorelai moved to sit down at the kitchen table and enjoy her view of him preparing them dinner. She offered to help at one point but when there was really nothing for her to help with, really nothing that she wanted to do, she started the wedding planning again. This time using a phone book and then her laptop to look up nearby wedding dress stores to try and find somewhere suitable to find a new dress since her old one no longer worked for her. She found a few and made a list of them all the while listening to stories of Luke's day that always involved a good Kirk anecdote. Eventually the couple started to work in silence on their respective tasks, the only sounds in the kitchen being that of Luke cooking and Paul Anka walking around on the tile.


	26. Chapter 26

"Your appointment is on Tuesday at 2:30."

Lorelai sighed audibly into the phone she had pressed against her ear and nearly rolled her eyes as her mother repeated herself for the fourth time since this phone call began. "I know that Mother. You've already mentioned it. Quite a few times actually."

Walking beside her, Rory snickered at her mother's expression and reply as it was obvious to even her that this conversation had repeated itself over and over and that wasn't just because of her mother's insistent replies that she heard her mother the first time. And the second time.

"Well Lorelai," Emily began in a tone that was frequently used between the two of them as she tried to get her daughter to listen. "You do have a tendency to pretend you don't remember the things that I tell you, why you think that's fun, I'll never know. I'm just making sure that there will be no way you can pass this off as not remembering when I have clearly told you several times."

Lorelai smiled and waved at Miss Patty as she passed, using her free hand to gesture that one of her little pumpkins had fallen over behind her. "Tuesday at 2:30, got it."

"Actually is Luke around?" Emily asked. "I'll tell him the time that way both of you will know and there will be no miscommunication for this appointment. This way you won't be late."

"He's not around," Lorelai answered.

Which was only a white lie since all it would take for him to be around was for her to step through the diner door that now stood before her. As soon as she locked eyes with him though, he gave a shake of his head and pointed to the no cell-phones sign. Between the look her gave her and Rory tugging on her arm for her to remain on the sidewalk since she liked to follow the rules of the diner, Lorelai retreated back to the sidewalk.

"But I will be sure to tell him," she tacked on. "Wednesday at 9, right?" she asked, stifling a laugh as she waited for her mother's reaction.

"Honestly Lorelai," Emily exclaimed into her end of the phone call.

"Relax Mom, I was joking," Lorelai explained to which Rory shook her head but still laughed. "Tuesday at 2:30, I got it. I'm marking it down on my calendar as we speak."

"No you're not."

She rolled her eyes this time. "Well if I had a calender with me I would be," she replied. She ran a hand over her face. "I'll mark it down in my date book as soon as I can. Luke and I will be there, no need to keep reminding me." Rory came back into her view. "Actually Rory is with me so I'll tell her, if that will make you feel better."

At that, Lorelai held the phone close to Rory who repeated the date and time back to her grandmother and assured her that her mother would remember this appointment. When Rory was done, Lorelai lifted the phone back to her ear. "Good enough?"

"Good enough," Emily replied. "I'll see you Tuesday Lorelai."

Before Lorelai could fully comprehend her mother's statement, the line clicked off and she was left with the dial tone trilling in her ear. She stood on the sidewalk staring at her phone for far too long before she flipped it close and slid it into the pocket of her pink coat. She scoffed.

"Unbelievable."

"What?" Rory asked, now following her mother into the diner where they quickly claimed a table right in front of the window. She decided to take a guess. "Grandma coming with you to your real estate appointment?"

"Bingo," Lorelai confirmed. She smiled when Luke came into view with two coffee cups and a full coffee pot without her having to prompt him. "Bless you."

Rory wrapped her hand around her cup just as Luke finished filling it with the delicious beverage. "Thanks Luke."

He smiled at her. "Good to have you home for the weekend Rory."

"Very good," Lorelai agreed with a smile. As Luke turned to walk away, she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her. "One quick thing. Earlier when you refused to let me in the diner..." she began only to be interrupted by Luke.

"Because cell phones in an eating establishment are a nuisance, it's rude to sit there and talk on your phone while people are trying to eat. I have the rules for a reason," Luke interjected and Rory agreed with a nod of her head.

"I've seen the sign," Lorelai said. "Anyway, back to my first point, that was my mother on the phone. We have an appointment with her real estate agent on Tuesday at 2:30, and apparently she is joining us."

Luke set the coffee pot in his hand down on the table. "Your mother is coming with us?"

"Did you really think that we could look at a house that my parents are interested in buying for us without my mother?" Lorelai asked even though she was a bit taken aback just moments earlier. She took his silence as her answer. "Thought so. The appointment is at 2:30, can you make that?"

"I'll be there," Luke answered. He looked between the mother and daughter. "You two ready to order?"

"Cheeseburger and fries, apple pie for dessert," Rory rattled off quickly. "It's been too long since I've had a burger from here, I'm going through withdrawals."

"I'll put extra cheese on that burger for you," Luke promised, bringing forth a grin from Rory. He focused on Lorelai. "Same for you?"

"Extra cheese on mine too."

"Got it." He picked up the coffee pot and went to walk away again only to be called back by Lorelai once again. "What now?"

"Kiss," Lorelai requested, puckering her lips as she did so. She smiled when he leaned down and pressed a fleeting kiss to her lips. "That's all I needed."

"Your lunch will be ready soon."

This time when he walked away there was no pulling or calling him back to the table, instead Lorelai enjoyed the view of him walking into the kitchen before turning back to her daughter. Since April wasn't staying with them this week, Lorelai was thrilled when Rory decided to stay in Stars Hollow for the weekend; especially considering it had been awhile since they had been able to any time together just the two of them. And with Luke working today and the inn covered by Michel, she deemed today perfect to spend with her daughter.

"So I was thinking that after lunch, we'll head to Hartford and do some shopping," Lorelai announced as if they hadn't discussed their plans in detail over movies after the usual Friday night dinner the night before. "I figured while we're doing that, I can try and find somewhere that will take the wedding dress."

Rory hesitated for a quick second but then nodded her head, agreeing with her mother. "Sounds good to me. Now that you're returning the dress, I think it's safe to tell you that I never really liked it."

"What? You didn't like the dress?" Lorelai questioned. "Why didn't you tell me? You're the maid of honor, you're supposed to speak up about these things."

"You were so happy about it and I didn't want to ruin your happiness," Rory admitted. She gave a shrug of her shoulders. "And I don't know, I figured that if you loved it that much, then you should wear it. It's your wedding, not mine."

"Well that's very sweet and a very you thing to do," Lorelai said, placing her hand over her daughter's as she did so. "But this time when we all go shopping, I need honesty about the dresses. That's one of your duties. I'm planning on my mother to be completely honest and that goes for everyone else."

"You're going to invite Grandma to look for wedding dresses?"

"Well yeah," came Lorelai's late reply. She pulled her hand back from her daughter's and acted like it wasn't a big deal. "I mean if I don't then there will be a fight, I already invited her to help with the planning, so I figured she could go with us to look for dresses whenever we go. I already know she won't like anything I pick out but at least she can't say that she wasn't a part of it."

Rory grinned at her mother in response but didn't say anything. Truthfully, she was happy that her mother and grandmother were getting along much better than in years past. There was always so much back-and-forth between the two, fights that her mother assured her that she wouldn't understand because they knew two different sets of people, but now they seemed to be finding a little common ground with her mother actively trying to involve her grandmother in her life. She knew it made her Grandmother happy to forge this new relationship and even though her mother wouldn't admit it to anyone but her, she knew that it made her happy too.

Before their lunch could arrive, Kirk approached their table to see if Lorelai had any interest in his new business which was really just an old business that he was offering to revamp for the upcoming and highly anticipated wedding. Kirk's Yummy Bartender's. After telling Kirk that she was putting wedding plan aside today for the sake of spending time with Rory and having him ignore that to tell her the new stipulations of his Yummy Bartenders, a waiver the bartenders were to sign saying they wouldn't flirt with Lulu, Lorelai made sure that he knew she would discuss the possibility with Luke but for now there was no decision.

Kirk eventually left their table when he was prompted to by Luke but not before he slid a business card Lorelai's way that was merely a collage of failed business names that were always replaced by new ones. She informed Luke that she would tell him what Kirk was up to later then slid his business card into a zippered pouch on her purse while her and Rory's lunch was placed in front of them with promises of dessert to come later once their food was gone. It didn't escape Lorelai or Rory that along with the extra cheese on the burger there was also double the lettuce and even what appeared to be a small side salad served up beside their food.

"Luke is expecting us to eat the salad too, isn't he?" Rory asked, preparing her burger with the necessary ketchup and mustard but not moving the lettuce from the burger.

"He's trying to keep us healthy," Lorelai insisted.

Rory shook her head. "The nerve of that man."

"I know," Lorelai played along. "What are we going to do with him?"

Rory pretended to think but really used the time to munch on a few on her fries and take a couple bites of her burger. "Well I have to say that he makes pretty good food and coffee, he seems to be a nice guy so I'm thinking that we should keep him around."

Lorelai nodded her head as Rory spoke. "I think that's very wise." A smirk flitted across her face as she lifted a fry to her mouth. "He's pretty great at a few other things too."

"I'm eating," Rory pointed out to avoid her mother continuing on. "And I'm your daughter, and we're in the diner. Please don't finish that thought."

"Fine, I'll stop. Better kept to myself anyways."

"And I thank you for not scarring me for life."

Lorelai waved her off with a flick of her hand, "I've already given you plenty to scar you for life and so your future therapist will make a lot of money, I'll save the rest for someone else."

"And again, I thank you."

Though she said earlier that she was going to set the wedding planning aside for the day in order to spend time with her daughter that wasn't fully comprised of talks of wedding details, Lorelai did fill Rory in on the narrowing down of things that she hadn't filled her in on recently. There really wasn't much planned, most of the planning still had to be done, but they were making some progress. Halfway through telling Rory about the phone call she received earlier that week from her mother about wanting to throw them a party to celebrate their engagement since she wasn't allowed to throw them a wedding, only help a little with the planning, she was nudged on the shoulder and made to direct her focus to the diner counter where Kirk was busy talking to Luke who was glaring over his shoulder at her.

"Oh what is Kirk doing now?" Lorelai as she pushed up from her seat. "Be right back."

Her last comment was directed at Rory as she walked away from their table and over to the counter to stand beside Kirk. She shook her head when she saw an identical business card to the one that was stuffed in her purse lying on the counter in front of Luke. "Kirk, what's going on?"

"I was just telling Luke about my business of Yummy Bartenders," Kirk answered. "I told him about the waiver I was going to have them sign so they won't flirt with Lulu. I offered to put your name on there too since you'll be a wedded woman and shouldn't flirt with yummy bartenders."

"Right," Lorelai gave a sharp nod of her head. "But didn't I tell you that I would talk to Luke about this?"

"You did but I figured I was in the diner and so was Luke, it seemed like a good time to bring it up," Kirk replied. "I even offered to make sure that none of the bartenders are yummier than Luke so he doesn't get jealous."

"I see." Lorelai placed her hands on Kirk's shoulders and gently turned him away from the counter and more towards the door. "Kirk, honey, let me talk to Luke about this. I'll let you know when a decision has been reached."

A response from Kirk came her way but she opened the diner door and led him out, once again telling him that she would discuss this with Luke and until then, he shouldn't bring it up. Once Kirk was out the door and on the sidewalk, Lorelai walked back inside the diner and over to the counter where Luke was still glaring that she hoped was all because of Kirk and nothing that did or didn't do.

"Him coming to you, not my fault," Lorelai made clear as soon as she approached the counter. "He came to me with the idea and I told him that I would talk to you but you know Kirk, he does things his own way and doesn't follow direction well or at all."

"I'm not angry," Luke assured her. "It's just Kirk."

"He's an enigma."

He picked up the business card, reading the scrawl that read 'Kirk's Yummy Bartenders,' located at the bottom of the business card, he flipped it towards Lorelai. "Kirk's Yummy Bartenders," he asked. "What in the hell is that?"

"Bartenders that are yummy," Lorelai answered. It was obvious to her. "He had them at Lane's wedding, which was a total disaster. Not the wedding but Kirk's business. He wants to bring yummy men to the lonely women of Stars Hollow."

Luke held his hand up to stop her explanation. "You don't need to explain, Kirk already did."

"So what has you upset?" Lorelai asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eye. "Is it because Kirk referred to you as yummy because coming from him, it's a little creepy, but you are very yummy. And if we do hire them for the wedding, you don't have to be jealous because I will only have eyes for you. People do like to drink at weddings."

He tapped his knuckles against the counter. "We'll discuss it later."

"It's a plan."

He looked over her shoulder at the table where Rory still sat. "You and Rory ready for your pie now?"

"Yes please," Lorelai answered. Since she was at the counter and Luke had made no move to walk away just yet, she leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Yep, definitely yummy."

He jerked his head in the direction of her table. "Just go sit down. I'll bring the pie over."

"So demanding," Lorelai tossed over her shoulder as she made her way back to her table. "Kirk thinks Luke is yummy," she informed her daughter as she sat down across from her.

"He never ceases to surprise me."

"And he probably never will."

* * *

Her arms laden down with bags, Lorelai managed to twist the doorknob and then push the front door open with a bump of her hip. Her shopping bags were deposited in the entryway soon to be followed by Rory who carried fewer bags but had her cellphone pressed to her ear. The delicious smells that wafted towards them ushered them into the kitchen where Rory quickly asked what was for dinner before ducking into her room to take her phone call to Logan in private. Meanwhile Lorelai walked over to the counter-top where Luke was busy and greeted him with a kiss that she lingered on for a few seconds. She pulled away first, using her thumb to wipe away a smear of her lipgloss from his lips.

"Sparkly lipgloss isn't such a good color on you," she noted.

"I'll remember that the next time I fix my face," Luke deadpanned. "You two have a good day?"

"Great day," Lorelai confirmed with a grin. "I am now officially wedding dress-less. We found a shop that was willing to take it. Although one worker at the shop believed it was bad luck to return a wedding dress that didn't work out."

"Crazy," Luke muttered. "How's the damage on my credit card?"

"I think I heard I crying out 'help me' as we left one store," Lorelai replied, a teasing lilt to her voice. "No, we actually didn't do much damage. We just picked up a few things, spent some time together."

"I'm glad you two had a great time together, nice to have her home," Luke commented. He looked towards Rory's door before focusing back on his task of preparing the garlic bread to go along with their lasagna. "She on the phone with that Logan kid?"

Lorelai chuckled then nodded her head, "Yep. She's on the phone with Logan. Tough with him being so far away."

"And we approve of him? Isn't he the one that was with her when she stole the yacht?"

"He's Logan," Lorelai said lamely. "And Rory really likes him and I'm being approving of the relationship as long as there is no more yacht stealing. You're free to form your own opinions of him."

"I will do that," Luke replied in such a way that is caused Lorelai to laugh again. He finished with the garlic bread and slid it into the oven. "What do you think about June 9th?"

"For what?" Lorelai asked.

"Our wedding," Luke clarified before continuing on. "While you and Rory were gone today, I took a look at your wedding planner and it was one of the dates open for the Dragonfly. I think it sounds like a good day for a wedding."

"I can't think of anything else I have to do that day," Lorelai replied. She smiled. "I have to agree, it sounds like a perfect day for a wedding."

"June 9th it is then."

"I'll mark it down in my planner." She was giddy, happy that they decided a date which made it a lot easier for other aspects of planning to fall into place. "Let's just hope June is good to us this time around. There is a history."

"It will be."

The door to Rory's bedroom opened and she joined the two adults in the kitchen, now free from her phone call from Logan. Lorelai informed her daughter of the date chosen for the wedding and even she had to agree that it sounded like a good day to get married. Dinner was finished and they all gathered around the table with Lorelai helping Luke to serve the food since she wanted to help out in some way.

"So I have some news about Logan," Rory announced.

Lorelai stopped the forkful of lasagna mid-way to her mouth and looked over at her daughter. "What kind of news?" She shared a look with Luke. "Good or bad?"

"Good, sort of," Rory answered. "We were talking about the holidays and he thought that he was going to be able to come home for Christmas but he says that he doesn't think that will be possible anymore. He invited to come spend Christmas with him."

"Spend Christmas with him in London?" Lorelai asked and Rory nodded her head to answer her mother's question. "But we always do Christmas together, I mean of course we have to, we're a family. And along with Luke, we'll have April to celebrate with this year."

"I know," Rory assured her mother. "And I told Logan about that but I think we can work it out where I go to London for Logan and spend time with him since I haven't been able to in a while and still be able to spend Christmas time with you. I'll probably be home after Christmas but we still have some Christmas time together."

"We have our traditions," Lorelai insisted.

"I know and we can still do them, we have to do them," Rory replied. "And who know Logan might be able to come home for Christmas and I can invite him over here. There's no definite plans yet."

"Either way, you do what makes you happy," Lorelai finally said after a beat. "We'll figure it out."

Luke noticed Lorelai's expression and mentioned that he wasn't sure if they would even be able to spend Christmas day with April seeing as he and Anna were still working out how they were going to split up the holidays which seemed to help with the revelation that Rory might not be spending Christmas at home this year. She suggested postponing Christmas if Rory's plans for London worked out, which at first seemed crazy but with being unsure of both Rory and April's plans, the more the idea seemed to be logical. The holiday conversation was pushed aside for other topics such as sharing their shopping trip with Luke and bringing up the house that Emily and Richard wanted to buy for the soon-to-be-wedded couple that would provide them with the room needed for their growing family.

At first, Lorelai felt weird mentioning to Rory that there was a small chance of them possibly not living in the house that they had moved into so many years ago but after doing a drive-by of the house before their shopping trip, Rory seemed more at ease than she did about the very possibility of moving. Lorelai assured Rory, which was more for her benefit than her daughter's, that they were just doing a look-through and nothing was set in stone but a bigger house would be good for all of them.

After dinner and clean-up, Lorelai and Rory retired to the living room insisting that Luke join them this time for movie night since he bailed the night before using the excuse that he was tired and that Lorelai should spend time alone with Rory since that hadn't happened recently. But those excuses didn't work on them this time as Lorelai pulled him onto the couch next to her and declared it family night for all three of them and soon they would work on having a real family movie night with both Rory and April included.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, hope you're still with me!

Lorelai glided her fingers along the smooth marble counter-top of the island as she made her way through the kitchen of the house that had the very real potential of being a wedding present. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed her mother carefully watching her. Just moments ago, Emily was going on and on, boasting about the benefits of the house in comparison to the house that was currently being lived in. She had since fallen silent and even sent the real estate agent away, insisting that maybe the couple would like some time to themselves to discuss the house that they just spent the last hour walking through and exploring the different rooms inside as well as walking through the snow-covered yard that held a small pond and stables.

Lorelai couldn't deny that she actually liked the place; the walk-in closet in the spacious master bedroom was almost enough for her to agree to the house right then and there. But the house had more purpose than just a closet that practically begged her for a shopping spree so it wouldn't look so sad and empty with her and Luke's combined wardrobe. The master bedroom shared the upstairs with three additional bedrooms, two of which were conjoined by a shared bathroom. The third bedroom upstairs roomed next door to a smaller but still functional bathroom.

The staircase led down into the foyer. To the left of the foyer, the dining room rolled into an expansive kitchen that rolled into a sun porch just separated by french doors. To the right of the foyer, the living room opened up. Beyond the foyer, a hallway led to an additional bathroom and bedroom as well as a room that featured high bookcases and was rightfully declared as a small library or, if preferred, office space.

In comparison to her current and well-loved house, this place was sprawling. There was more than enough room for Rory and April both to have their own space so it would no longer be only having one of their girls stay at the house at a time. They could each have their own choice of a bedroom without having to share anymore. Though she knew realistically that Rory didn't spend nearly as much time at home as she used to and that there was a good chance she would stay at home even less than now in the future, but she would always need her own room.

Lorelai's heels clicked against the hardwood floor as she walked towards Luke who had emerged from the dining room and made his way back into the kitchen. When she was close to him, she leaned back against the counter and nodded in acknowledgment when her mother announced that she was going to go retrieve their real-estate agent, Lorene.

"So what do you think?" Lorelai asked as soon as her mother was out of ear-shot.

"It's a great house," Luke answered. "Plenty of space, this kitchen is amazing, a little on the bigger side which isn't always a bad thing," he stopped when he caught the smirk forming on Lorelai's face, "I know, dirty."

She smiled but waved off the comment. "That one was too easy." She sighed and then gazed around the room. "You know the room upstairs, next to the master bedroom?"

Luke turned to look at her. "What about it?"

"When the time comes, I think it will make a great room for a nursery," Lorelai replied wistfully.

He couldn't help but smile at that, as the thought of that certain room being a nursery had crossed his mind earlier too. "When the time comes, it would make a great nursery."

A tender smile crossed her face at the sound of his vocal agreement. She leaned closer and was just about to kiss him when Emily and Lorene both re-entered the room and interrupted their almost embrace. They had caught the tail end of the couples conversation and both questioned the need for a nursery, whether it would be needed sooner rather than later because if needed, and if they wanted the house, they could make sure they were in as soon as possible. She quickly dispelled the idea that a nursery would be needed in just a few shorts months since she was definitely not pregnant, but just that one day that particular room could potentially serve as a nursery for someone.

"So what do we think about the house?" Lorene asked, adjusting the portfolio she held in her hands. "As I said before the current owners are willing to throw in any of the furniture and appliances that you might like."

"It's a wonderful house," Lorelai admitted to which Luke agreed to with a silent nod of his head. "I don't think we're going to make a final decision today though, we still need a little time to discuss."

"Oh of course," Lorene replied. "You're welcome to take all the time you need though I do have another couple that is potentially interested in this house so the sooner you let me know whether or not you want the house, the better."

"I just want to say that I believe this house would be perfect for the two of you and your family," Emily chimed in. "Of course, your house has it's own charms Lorelai but the two of you with Rory and April may just be outgrowing it, and this would be a wonderful property that would give everyone their own space. Especially if you two choose to have another kid."

"That one is awfully pushy about more grandchildren today," Lorelai joked, earning her low and amused chuckles from Luke and a disapproving look from her mother.

"What? Is it that unreasonable to that you two might have more children one day?" Emily asked in a tone that made it evident she was not looking for an answer. "It's a reasonable consideration that comes up between two people when they are about to be married."

"Okay, I was just joking," Lorelai stressed. "No need to get all snippy."

"I'm not getting all snippy," Emily replied.

The silence that had fallen over the room was swiftly broken when Luke's cell-phone began to ring. Knowing that it could very well be April or Liz, seeing as he didn't receive many calls from anyone else besides them two and the person standing by his side, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and retrieved his phone. As his sister's number flashed on the screen, he explained to Lorelai who it was before excusing himself to take the call.

"Who is Liz?" Emily asked once Luke left the room.

"Luke's sister," Lorelai explained. "She's pregnant and kind of cutting it close to her due date so this could be an important call. He needed to take it."

"I understand," Emily gave a nod of her head. She looked to see if Lorene was listening and when she found the woman focused on the portfolio in her hands, she continued on, "You're not getting any younger, you know."

Baffled, Lorelai tried to hold back her confusion as she replied, "Wow, well if it isn't the queen of the segues."

"I'm just saying that women of your age can have some trouble conceiving. It's not impossible for you to get pregnant but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy either," Emily tried to explain. "And it's not just women, men too. You both seem like you want more children and I want you to know the struggles that a woman of your age can face when trying to conceive."

Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from her mother, deciding rather to focus on the dark hardwood floors and her heels that matched perfectly with the dress she had chosen to wear but didn't do to well for a walk out in the snow that happened just moments earlier. She wasn't well-versed on the topic of fertility and advancing age but she did understand that there was the very real possibility that she and Luke could certainly face more challenges than a younger couple as they tried to conceive. Getting pregnant seemed easier in theory than the reality of what could be their near future.

Luckily she soon heard the familiar clomping sound of Luke's boots and was able to push the topic of her waning fertility to the back of her mind. Grateful for the distraction, she looked up as he came to a stop in front of her and asked about Liz. "How is she? Is she having the baby?"

Luke shook his head. "No, she's not having the baby. But she did call to ask if I could come over to her house and help out with the nursery."

"I thought they were finished with it," Lorelai replied. "I thought when Liz called the other day, she was excited about it and wanted us to come over to see it."

"They were finished," Luke explained. He blew out a harsh breath and then continued on. "Apparently T.J. had the bright idea that he had to test out the crib to see if it was comfortable to sleep in, so he climbed in, and because he's an adult man who thought bouncing in the crib would test it out, it broke."

"Oh no," Lorelai sighed, more out of the same exasperation that Luke felt over T.J.'s tiresome antics than actual concern but she still had to ask, "Well is he okay?"

"He's an idiot but he didn't get hurt," Luke answered. "So, of course now Liz isn't speaking to him and refuses to let him handle anything in the nursery which led to her calling me. She's freaking out about how the baby is due soon and her incompetent husband broke the crib, so now I have to go over there and help out. Try to get a new crib or something."

"A grown man that you know, that you're related to, climbed into a crib to test it out?" Emily asked incredulously. She exchanged a look with Lorene who stood beside her. "And this man is going to be a father soon?"

"That's just T.J.," Lorelai replied. "It would take too long to even try and explain."

"Trust me, I don't want to be related to him. That was all Liz's idea," Luke admitted. "I couldn't even start to explain it."

"Probably best if you don't," Lorelai added on. "Do you want me to go out there with you? I could be a great help, help with Liz and try to keep her calm even though pregnancy hormones can be killer. Or help out with the shopping, if that's what you need to do."

"I think I can handle it," Luke answered. "I know that we had plans to go out to dinner tonight, I'll try to help them out as fast as I can, help with a crib and try to get them talking again though Liz made it clear that she never wanted to see or speak to him again."

"Those are the hormones talking," Lorelai replied. "Well with a little of T.J. being an idiot mixed in, still mainly hormones. And don't worry about dinner tonight, we'll go out some other night. Right now, you need to go help your sister and help her get ready for your future niece. Or nephew?"

"They're waiting until it's born to find out," Luke explained.

"Now, are you sure you don't want me to go with you today? I really don't mind," Lorelai offered. "You know how you get around T.J."

He didn't take her up on her offer once again. "No, I think we'll be okay. I can go shopping with her, help her out with a crib, and try to get her to talk to T.J. again."

A smile beamed across her face. "You're a great man Luke Danes."

When he said that he had to go before Liz made good on her promise to harm T.J. in such a way that he wouldn't be able to see their child once it was born, Lorelai cupped her hand along the side of his face and kissed his lips softly. When he pulled away, he promised to try and be back as soon as he could and also promised, after Lorelai offered again, that if he did need any help he would not hesitate to call her. She smiled as she watched him go and then remembered that he had picked her up from the inn and drove her over here for their appointment. With the house technically sitting on the border of Stars Hollow, there was an added distance to the inn that she didn't want to walk.

"Shoot," Lorelai mumbled under her breath at the very thought of trekking back to the inn in her current attire. "Really should have asked him for a ride back."

"What was that?" Emily asked, though a finely tuned ear managed to pick up on her daughter's mumbling under her breath over the years.

"Uh...nothing," Lorelai dismissed then backtracked. "It's just that Luke and I kind of came here together and he's left so he's not here anymore but I'm still here so..."

"You need a ride," Emily finished the sentence. Before her daughter had a chance to argue against the idea, she turned to Lorene and thanked her for the day. "Thank you for today Lorene, the tour was excellent. We'll give you a call as soon as they have an answer."

"I look forward to it," Lorene replied. She then spoke just to Lorelai. "I do hope you decide to take the house. I think it's a great fit for the two of you."

Lorene then guided them to the foyer where she handed over her business card to Lorelai as well as a sheet of paper filled with details on the house they were currently standing in. Lorelai slid the business card into the pocket of her coat and followed her mother out of the house after thanking Lorene once again for allowing them to take a tour of the house. Once they reached the car, Lorelai climbed into the passenger seat and waited for her mother.

Emily leaned slightly forward to put the key in the ignition but didn't start the car. Instead, she glanced over to the passenger seat. "I'm not going anywhere until you buckle your seat belt."

"Oh come on Mom," Lorelai started to reply. "The inn isn't that far and the speed limit through Stars Hollow is a solid twelve. I'm sure no seat belt will be fine."

Emily folded her arms across her chest. "I'm serious Lorelai. We're not going anywhere until you buckle your seat belt."

"I'm not five."

A staring contest followed Lorelai's comment and featured a withering stare from Emily that Lorelai crumpled under as she reached for her seat belt and secured it around her body, muttering the entire time that the speed limit in Stars Hollow really twelve and it's not as if anyone patrolled the area carefully since nothing ever happened in the town. Emily had a smug and she-got-her-way smile on her face as she pulled away from the house and followed Lorelai's not-really-needed directions on how to get to the inn.

"I know how to get to your inn Lorelai."

"Just trying to help."

Emily kept her hands on the wheel, driving to their destination and making casual conversation. "April's coming to stay with you and Luke soon, right?"

Lorelai gave a nod of head and was thankful that they didn't pick up on their previous conversation. "Yep, she'll be here this weekend."

"And what about Thursday?"

"What about Thursday Mom?"

"It's Thanksgiving Lorelai," Emily answered. "I don't know how you two are handling holidays with the custody that Luke was granted and I just wanted to know if we were going to see April for Thanksgiving. I need to know so I can make sure there are enough place settings."

"She'll be here," Lorelai replied. "And you'll see us."

There had been arguments over how they were going to split up the holidays, with Anna unrelenting at first on their traditions and the face that this week was still her time with April. But with recent news and confusion over whether Rory or not would be around at Christmas-time and Anna claiming that April would spend Christmas with her as they already had plans, they finally came to an agreement over where their daughter would spend the holiday. Even if it meant they only had her for a few hours before having to bring her back home before picking her up again just over a day later.

"Very well."

Aside from a few biting comments as to not knowing anything about the latest wedding plans that was followed up by assurances from Lorelai that there was nothing else to know, the rest of the drive was fairly quiet. She was happy for that thought it did allow her mother's comments from earlier about her age and having babies to creep back to the forefront of her mind. Work could be a distraction once she got there but she knew that it wasn't something that she could distract herself from for much longer since she and Luke genuinely did want to extend their family tree. Her mother must have noticed that she was deep in thought because as they parked in front of the Dragonfly, she was questioned on what was wrong. She brushed it off, said everything was fine and that she was just thinking about their house before she thanked her mother for the ride as she was getting out of the car and swiftly made her way up to the inn's porch where she did immediately began to busy herself.

* * *

Luke crouched down by the newly repaired crib and made sure that his last few hours work actually worked and that he didn't have to tack on a couple hours more to go out and fix up a new crib. Luckily, T.J.'s antics caused the crib to fall apart without too much damage to the structure so he was able to piece it back together and have it come out more secure than before, at least in his opinion. And luckily again, with Liz freaking out and getting angry at T.J., the man was no where around to annoy him while he worked. Instead Liz stayed with him in the nursery and kept him company, with the one exception of the time that she passed out on the couch saying that carrying around a child inside her made her tired.

"Did you fix it?" Liz asked, watching Luke take one last glance at the assembled crib before standing back up and turning to face her.

"Good as new," Luke replied as he tapped his knuckles on the railing of the crib. "Maybe better than before."

Liz smiled and stepped forward to hug him, which he quickly reciprocated. "Oh thank you big brother, I had no doubts that you could fix it."

"No problem," Luke brushed off the comment as they broke the hug. "Just make sure that T.J. doesn't climb in it anymore. A crib is strictly for a baby."

Liz gave a shake of her head. "Sometimes he acts more like a baby."

"I cannot argue with that," Luke replied.

"I swear that man..."

"It's not good for you to get worked up like this," Luke intervened. "Yes, he's an idiot who does stupid things a majority of the time but you chose to marry him for some reason, you're going to have to talk to him at some point."

"I know," Liz sighed. A mixture of a frown and a scowl formed on her face. "He just makes me so crazy."

Remembering what Lorelai said earlier and her many tales of Sookie's hormone-induced wackiness, he said, "That's probably just the hormones talking." He tried to be comforting. "I'm not T.J.'s biggest fan but you're having a baby with him. You can't keep him out of this house forever."

"You're right," Liz acknowledged. "You're always so right about everything big brother."

"Not everything," Luke replied.

"Yes everything," Liz complimented wholeheartedly. The smile was back on her face. "Thank you for helping me out today."

"No problem."

"You should probably go home to Lorelai," Liz said, watching as her brother started to pack up his tools in his rusty old toolbox. "I've kept you here long enough. You two probably had plans, maybe some wedding planning, your wedding is going to be beautiful...ooh what about babies?" she asked, going head-on into rambling. "You two would have beautiful babies. Please tell me that you're going to have a baby, mine will need someone to play with."

Luke stopped packing up his tools long enough to look over at his sister, who stood there still smiling and with a hand over her obviously pregnant belly. "It's been discussed."

Liz squealed. "They're going to be cousins, this is going to be so great. They can grow up together and play together!"

He had to admit that the thought of his and Lorelai's discussed/future child growing up surrounded by family sounded good, although it would mean spending more time with T.J. but then again he could always find a way around that. But that thought went away as soon as it came when T.J.'s voice sounded throughout the house, effectively squashing the good mood that Liz has worked herself into and instead replaced it with the angry mood that she was in when Luke had arrived earlier and learned that T.J. had been kicked out for his actions.

"T.J. I swear…" Liz started to curse her husband's name.

Luke sighed, took a minute to take a deep breath and then let it out, before following his waddling sister out of the room as she continued to yell at her incompetent husband. As much as he wanted to get home, he knew that he shouldn't leave them arguing like this. Liz had already threatened bodily harm once and it seemed like she was going back down that route now, at least according to her shrieks. He had to at least try and intervene before he could finally go home.

* * *

Much later that night, after moderating a fight between Liz and T.J. and finally getting them both to calm down, Luke trudged through the front door. He removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack before continuing on through the house. After checking to see if Paul Anka needed anything and turning the television off, he made his way up the staircase and into the bedroom where Lorelai was leaning back against the headboard with her glasses on and a magazine in her hands. She looked up as he entered the room.

"Hey you, I was wondering when you were going to get home." She folded her magazine and set it to the side while he took off his shoes and gathered his usual pajamas of gray sweatpants and an olive-green t-shirt. "I didn't think you were going to be gone this long."

"I didn't either," Luke replied. He made his was over to her side of the bed. "I was ready to come home, I was going to since I was finished with the crib, but then T.J. came back and he and Liz started to argue and, well, you know the rest."

She looked into his eyes and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I know babe. Everything okay now though?"

"Everything's fine, at least they stopped arguing long enough to kind of talk to each other, I made T.J. promise not to test out the stuff they bought for the baby, and then I left," Luke answered. "Everything is okay, at least for now. They can handle it."

"Yeah but you'll be right back there if they need any help," Lorelai gently reminded him. "That's who you are."

"An idiot."

She laughed, shaking her head at him. "No, that's someone else. That more suits T.J. You are wonderful."

He smiled at her laughing face as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "How'd the rest of your day go? I didn't mean to leave you with no ride back to the inn."

"My mother drove me back, it's fine," Lorelai answered. "But the rest of my day did include shooting down Michel's idea of a doggy day-care at the inn, which would really just be an excuse for him to bring his dogs to work. Then I was going to hang out with Sookie tonight but they doing things as a family so Paul Anka and I vegged out in front of the TV. I discovered he's scared of the case that I keep my glasses in."

"But the glasses," Luke prompted.

"He has no problem with."

"And you put it on the list?"

"After I hid it from him, of course," Lorelai replied. "I'm a good mom."

"Never doubted that for a minute." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"I know that was your subtle way of trying to get me to join you but I have a little reading to do."

"Of course." Luke glanced at the magazine she had set on her nightstand. "Seems like very important reading."

"The most important." She kissed him again. "Now you go shower and when you get back, I'll tell you all about the ideas Michel had for the doggy day-care because I know that's a story you're dying to hear."

"Can't wait," Luke deadpanned.

As he moved off of her side of the bed and headed towards the bathroom, she adjusted the glasses on her face and reached for her magazine again. It had been a recent purchase from Bootsy earlier in the day and was promptly hidden in her purse so all the eyes of Stars Hollow wouldn't see. She had even managed to hide it from Bootsy himself. She opened the magazine back up to the article that jumped out at her as she searched through the shelves of magazines earlier and began to read.

Her conversation with her mother had prompted her to search out other magazines than the usual tabloids and recent wedding ones she had been purchasing, and instead purchase ones that contained articles specific to that conversation. The sound of the shower served as background noise while she studied that article on fertility after certain ages. Growing frustrated over the words on the page, the magazine was soon set aside as she moved down into the bed and waited for Luke to finish with his shower.


	28. Chapter 28

Lorelai crept up the staircase, careful not to make too much noise seeing as Luke headed up to bed much earlier than usual and she didn't want to wake him. Normally on nights when he didn't have early deliveries the next morning or when April was staying with them, he would stay up later only going to bed once April was already in her room for the night, but tonight and the night before had been different and she knew the reason why. Between wedding planning, the house that they still needed to make a decision on, and the ever-growing concerns over fertility, it had completely slipped her mind at first that this time of the year was always hardest on Luke but it was brought back full force when a seemingly normal conversation about wedding invitations turned into a blow-out that ended up with Luke storming out of the Dragonfly.

Their fight didn't last long seeing as Luke had apologized later that night but the underlying tension over his "Dark Day" still remained with Luke in a worse mood than usual and Lorelai worrying that he would start to pull away again. While Luke knew that he couldn't let it be a blanket excuse for his behavior, he explained it to April when it was suggested that she should know since she was currently staying with them and had a right to know since he was her father which made it a part of her life.

In the darkened bedroom, Lorelai tip-toed across the wooden floor and quietly gathered her pajamas before disappearing into the bathroom for her nightly routine. Once she was changed into her pajamas, she tried to tip-toe through the room again as not to wake up Luke whom she suspected was sleeping but her efforts were thwarted when she stubbed her toe on her nightstand and sent her alarm clock tumbling to the ground. By the time she managed to find her alarm clock in the darkness and set it down back in it's rightful place, Luke had turned towards her in bed.

"I'm sorry," Lorelai apologized with a frown as she settled down in bed next to him. "I was trying to be quiet but we both know that's not my strong suit."

Luke yawned before he said, "It's okay."

She gave him a small smile at that then pressed a kiss to his lips. "Okay." When he moved from laying on his side to laying on his back and wrapped his arm around her, she laid her head down on his chest. "Luke?"

"Hmm?"

She propped her head up on his chest to look at him. "How is tomorrow going to go? I mean I know you don't know know since you have to wait until tomorrow to see how tomorrow is going to go because we haven't yet determined that you have psychic abilities, but I know what tomorrow is and how it usually goes for you, but I don't know if that applies now. I mean-"

"Lorelai," Luke interrupted.

She continued on like she didn't hear him. "The first year we were together, I didn't know about it but we did spend a little time together that night, and then last year was just crazy all around that time, but this year is different. I'm here, April's here, and I'm not saying that you can't choose to not be completely around tomorrow because if you want the time to yourself, I understand. Everyone needs a little time to themselves every now and then but I don't want you to think that you have to spend tomorrow alone. I'm supposed to work tomorrow but I can take the day off."

Luke sighed her name, "Lorelai."

"I know how hard tomorrow is for you," Lorelai said, reaching her hand up and cupping the side of his face. "But I'm here for you, okay?"

Luke took the hand of hers that was on his face and grasped it in his own. "Okay."

"And I'll be here for whatever you feel the need to do tomorrow, avoiding the town, not opening the diner, getting away from people, whatever it is you do when you disappear on this day," Lorelai listed. "I'm here and April's here and we both love you."

Luke leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead, "Let's just go to sleep."

She smiled tenderly at him, careful not to push it anymore tonight. "Yes, since I woke you up from your sleep, you may go back to sleep."

They shared another kiss before she turned on her side with her back towards him. Her eyes fluttered close when she felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her back against him. And though tomorrow wasn't her dark day, she felt herself relax when Luke pressed a kiss to her shoulder and then her neck before whispering that he loved her too and knew that she and April would be there for him tomorrow and just how much he appreciated that fact.

* * *

 

The next morning, Lorelai awoke to an empty bed. Judging by the lack of warmth from his side of the bed, she knew that he had been absent from their bed for quite awhile. She vaguely remembered him rolling out of bed earlier and whispering to her to go back to sleep because it was too early for her to be awake before he pressed a kiss into her hair and moved away from the bed. She laid in bed, listening carefully from movement downstairs thinking that Luke still might be here just downstairs cooking breakfast, but the house was quiet and there were no smells indicating that any breakfast was being cooked. She pushed the covers away from her body, climbed out of bed, and carefully selected her outfit for work before heading into the bathroom.

By the time she made it downstairs, her movements hurried when she remembered that she would be the one taking April to school today, she found April already sitting at the table with a plate of pancakes on the table in front of her and her eyes on her history book.

"Good morning," Lorelai greeted as she grabbed her cup from the counter and began to fill it with the already made coffee. "Did you see your dad this morning?"

"Mhmm," April mumbled, not taking her eyes off of her book. When she finished the section she was reading, she looked up at Lorelai and continued. "When I got up, he was just finishing breakfast. Your plate is in the microwave. He left not too long after I got up."

"Okay." Lorelai set her coffee cup down on the table before walking over to the microwave. She checked on her breakfast before she decided that it needed to be warmed up for a few minutes. "Did your dad say anything else this morning? About today or anything?"

"He wished me good luck on my test and said that he was sure that I would do well," April answered. "But he didn't say anything else, at least not about today. He did look sad though."

Lorelai sighed, a slight frown formed on her face. She hated for him to be hurting. "Yeah, well today is a very hard day for him." She turned around and grabbed her breakfast plate out of the microwave when it beeped. Before joining April at the table, she grabbed a fork and added, "But he was right, I'm sure you'll ace that test today."

"I hope so," April stressed.

They ate in silence for a little while with April turning back to her history book for a little last minute cramming for the test that she had in first period while Lorelai's thoughts turned to Luke. After talking with him the night before, she had thought that there would be the slightest possibility that he would still be here when she woke up but she completely understood why he wasn't and knew that he needed some time on his own today to do whatever it is he usually did on this day. They had never talked about it before, his first Dark Day as a couple just ended with them in bed silently making love and then not talking about how he spent his day instead he told her of a few stories from his childhood. And for the life of her she couldn't remember the last year's.

Looking back now, she saw the flaw in them not talking about it but at the time it didn't bother her. She just didn't want to see Luke hurting. She figured it helped for him to relive the happier moments of his childhood than to focus on the later days of his father's life when he was sick and how he spent those days trying to take care of him. He could be very closed off at times but she loved the openness of how he talked about his childhood with her that night.

Lorelai was broken out of her reverie when she heard April addressing her. She hadn't heard the question but by the way April was looking at her, she knew she was expecting an answer. "What did you say hon?"

"I asked if you knew him," April replied. "My dad's dad. William. Did you or Rory ever know him?"

Lorelai smiled, remembering an encounter that she told Luke about when she managed to connect the dots that the friendly older man she had met once was a member of the Danes' family. "Actually I met him before I met your dad. I didn't realize who he was until Luke and I were talking about his family one day. He never told me his name, just helped me once at Doose's when I was trying to shop but Rory wouldn't stop crying. He made her laugh and stop crying long enough for me to get her a pack of diapers. It wasn't long after we moved here."

"Sounds nice."

Lorelai nodded in response. "Yeah, it was."

April closed her book and slid it away from her. She stabbed at the remnants of pancakes on her plate with her fork. "Should we do something for Dad today?" she asked. "Maybe something to cheer him up."

Lorelai smiled at the young girl's thoughtfulness. Her mind was already running with potential ideas of things she could do for him. "Did you have anything in mind?"

"Well he's always cooking us breakfast and making dinner, he's tried to make my lunch a few times too but I told him I'm fine with school lunches. I know that he's not here not now but if he's going to be back by tonight, maybe we could make him dinner or something," April replied.

"That's a lovely idea April but there's a reason that Luke does all the cooking around here," Lorelai explained to her. "My cooking would be more of a punishment than a nice gesture."

April laughed at that. "Mom's not much of a cook either. I, however, like to think of it as a science. I can relate to that more and cooking can really be a science."

"You can cook?"

"One dish," April said seriously. "I made it with my grandma before when we spent time with her.

She taught me. I know he doesn't eat pizza all that much but we could make it a little healthier for him."

"I think that sounds great. You can cook and I'll supervise, might be the best idea in this situation," Lorelai replied. "When I pick you up from school, we can swing by the store and pick up whatever we need." She glanced over at the clock on the wall, "Speaking of school, we need to get going so you're not late."

April agreed, sliding out of the kitchen chair and heading into her bedroom to gather her things for school while Lorelai cleared both of their plates from the table and dumped them into the sink for clean up later today. They both said goodbye to Paul Anka and then April, once again, buried her nose in her history book causing Lorelai to carefully and safely guide the young girl out of the door, down the porch steps, and to the jeep.

* * *

 

Earlier that morning, Luke had been restless as he laid in bed and tried not stay still in order to not wake Lorelai. The sun wasn't even up yet, no light to filter through the gauzy curtains and brighten up their bedroom. Instead the bedroom was cloaked with darkness, the only light coming from the numbers on his and Lorelai's alarms clocks. Anyone else would probably find the darkness fitting since the townspeople had dubbed this his 'Dark Day,', but he just found it unwelcoming to the sleep that was evading him. On any other day he could chalk it up to early deliveries and having to open up the diner but the reasoning for his restlessness was different today.

He laid in bed for as long as he could stand before he decided that he should just go ahead and get on with his day. As he was moving away from the bed, he noticed Lorelai starting to stir. He brushed the curls out of her face and whispered for her to go back to sleep before he pressed a kiss to her hair and waited for her breathing to settle to a steady rhythm again before he backed away and grabbed his clothes from the closet.

Normally on this day, he would start his day by heading over to the cemetery in town and visiting his father and mother's grave, clearing them of some growth and debris that had managed to collect and laying his mother's favorite flowers down on her grave though he knew that both her and his father would fuss over it, claiming that they weren't needed. He liked to do it though, liked to have a little something nice on this day.

But this year was different. This year, he wasn't just by himself. He had Lorelai and April at home to think about. And though he knew that Lorelai had promised to be around for whatever he needed, what he really needed his time alone. However he figured that he could still take care of his girls and cook them breakfast before he disappeared for the day. They were his family and he still wanted to try and be there for them even though he didn't want to be around anyone.

He made breakfast and wished April good luck on her test before he left the house. With a later start to the day than usual, some of the townspeople were surprised to see him around but they stuck to their normal act for they day and allowed him to do his business without interacting with him. Of course, he caught the pitying looks that were sent his way as he tried to buy flowers but at least they were leaving him alone.

He knew the route to his parent's graves by heart. They were tucked away in a corner of the cemetery, more his father's request than his mother's but he appreciated the secluded area because he could spend his time there in peace. He felt that it was silly to talk to two headstones but that never stopped him. It made him feel more connected to them. Some years there wasn't much to tell but he always came up with something. The past couple of years had left him with more to talk about than usual with him giving his parents updates on Liz, Lorelai, Rory, and now April whom he knew that his parents would love.

Though he was in a more secluded area, he still looked around before he began to run his hand over the headstones and clear them of any overgrowth that hadn't been taken care of by someone else. He used this time to talk to them so if anyone did happen to see him, he wouldn't look like the crazy guy talking to himself. He laid the flowers down carefully across his mother's grave, taking the time to arrange them before saying that he missed them and that he needed to go.

After his stop by the cemetery, he always liked to get out of town and head to the family cabin that he spent many summers in as a kid. Even after his mother's passing, his father stayed true to their traditions and they spent their time doing the same things they did every year. Sometimes he took the time away to do a little fishing but most of the time he liked to just walk around the property to reminisce over the time spent there. He liked to use the time to be alone and think. Sometimes that helped the dull ache that formed in his chest around this time every year.

As he stepped through the doorway of what was always his and Liz's bedroom in the cabin, his jacket caught on a nail jutting out of the wood paneling and ripped a small hole in the fabric. He swore under his breath and vowed that one day he would come up here when he had the time and start to work on repairs that his cabin desperately needed. The place hadn't gotten much use since his father passed, just his occasional fishing trips and visits up here on this day every year but it was obvious to him now that repairs were needed if he wanted the place to stay in shape for future visits.

The bed creaked underneath his weight as he took a seat on it and let out a deep breath. So many memories were wrapped up in this cabin. Memories that he revisited every year, memories that didn't involve any sick parents or having to take care of anyone else since he was just a kid, some memories that he had shared with Lorelai and some that he hadn't. He wasn't sure why he hadn't brought her here yet, it just never came up. But he wanted to bring her here, her and April and Rory. Share this with them. Make new memories in a cabin that was pretty much a part of his family and that he couldn't get rid of. They were his family now. They were who he needed to take care of and depend upon, though the latter was a little harder for him to do but he had learned.

He had his own family now. A family that had talked about expanding, with both parties willing and wanting for new additions. It saddened him that his parents wouldn't be a part of that but knew that they would be happy for them and they would definitely approve of Lorelai and the life he had carved out for himself. Though they probably would have kicked his butt for his actions earlier on in the year. But that was all in the past and they were growing closer every day through planning a wedding and their future.

Luke got up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom, moving through the cabin until he made it to the back door and out to the lake. He walked along the edge, surveying the property and enjoy the tranquil quality that came with having a cabin by the lake. The weather was gloomy but he didn't care because it fit his mood for today. He would go home soon, back to his family, but right now he needed the alone time. To think. To reminiscence. To just be alone.

* * *

 

The sun was beginning to set by the time Luke pulled his truck to a stop in front of their house. Normally on this day he would stay gone for longer, returning to Stars Hollow under the cover of night, but his time spent wandering and reminiscing over his childhood made him want to be surrounded by those who were in his life now. Earlier in the day he received a call from Lorelai asking if he was okay and if there was anything she could do for him because she was concerned and could come to him, wherever he was at the time, if he wanted the company. At the time he refused the offer of her company because he did need the alone time but her phone call didn't just serve as an offer of comfort but reminded him that unlike several years before he now had his own family that wanted to be there for him.

When he made it inside, he was first greeted by Paul Anka who had taken to laying by the front door lately when he knew that certain people were gone. The dog wagged his tail which warranted a few pats and ruffling of his fur from Luke. It was then that Luke heard talking followed by giggling emanating from the kitchen. Closely followed by Paul Anka, he made his way towards the kitchen to find Lorelai and April huddled by the counter that was topped with various bowls and utensils nestled beside different ingredients that was evidence enough that there was some form of cooking going on. They must have heard him enter the kitchen because they both turned to face him at the same time.

"Hey hon," Lorelai greeted as she brushed a piece of hair out of her face and unknowingly left a small trail of flour across her cheek. "You're home."

"Hey Dad," April chimed in, stepping out from behind Lorelai with a pan in her hand that held the pizza she and Lorelai had created. "We're cooking."

He looked from Lorelai to April and then back to Lorelai. "Is this safe?"

"It's a lot safer since April is in charge rather than me trying to cook," Lorelai answered. She turned to April, "I'm going to go talk to your dad for a minute, you okay in here?"

"Just need to put the pizza in the oven," April explained. "I've got it from here."

"She's had it from the very beginning and I just played the part of supervisor and pizza topping eater," Lorelai informed Luke as she stepped towards him and started to guide him out of the kitchen. When they were in the living room, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "How are you doing?"

Luke sighed heavily. Today was still a hard day for him but now it was a matter of handling it differently. "I'm...it's not a good day for me, you know that. And I've usually spent them alone but I want to spend the rest of the day with you and April."

He received a soft smile from Lorelai in return for his response.

"Good, because we want to spend the rest of the day with you too. In fact, this morning over breakfast along came the idea that since you always take such good care of us, it was time for us to take care of you," Lorelai replied. "So we're cooking you dinner." She started to walk back to the kitchen and he followed. "And, yes it will be safe to eat because your daughter is doing all the cooking, apparently she's also a whiz in the kitchen."

April caught the tail end of the conversation. "I can make one dish successfully, and a few others not as successfully but still edible."

"Also she came up with a twist on the classic s'more that she calls a s'moreo, she's quite the culinary whiz," Lorelai said, informing Luke of a conversation she had with April earlier. "She gets that from you."

Luke gave a nod of his head in response. "You like to cook?" he asked April. The topic had never come up before but he liked the idea of having a little more in common with his daughter.

"I do," April answered. With the pizza in the oven, she tried to pick up some of the mess that she and Lorelai had made but Lorelai insisted that she had it and shooed her away to join Luke at the kitchen table. "I learned some from my grandma when we would visit with her. I like to think about it as a science, the chemistry behind the changes in the ingredients when they're combined."

"You know, my mom taught me how to cook," Luke replied. "It started when she let me help out in the kitchen but then she would show me some of her recipes and try to teach me to cook them. I still use some of her recipes, some I've changed a little. I could teach you to cook."

"I would like that. Then I could cook more than just pizza and s'moreos."

"Just don't let Sookie hear about any of this," Lorelai piped up. "She might try to steal you and make you her little prodigy for the Dragonfly."

"We'll have cooking lessons at home," Luke said in reply. "We can start with you helping me cook dinner some nights while you're here with us."

Lorelai chose to hang back then while April agreed that sounded like a good idea and she wanted to learn to cook from her father. She cleared the dishes while listening in on their conversation where April informed Luke on her day at school and how she thought her test went since she only took it today and could not possibly not the results just yet. She smiled, watching them chat and bond, the lines of worry on Luke's face that seemed to multiply ten-fold heading into this week started to soften as he shared this moment with his daughter.

Soon after the timer that April set buzzed and announced that their dinner was ready. While taking it out of the oven, April assured her father that they had made it with him in mind and also had a salad in the fridge prepared just in case he wasn't a fan of the pizza. Once it was sufficiently cooled and sliced and everyone had their preferred dinner drink, all compliments were passed April's way as they all enjoyed their meal.

Throughout dinner, the conversation was dominated by Lorelai and April both reliving their days at work and school respectively. Luke preferred to remain quiet about his day, just jumping in with a comment here and there with the stories that were being told to him. His quietness was noted by Lorelai and when she asked if he was doing okay, he answered that he was and he just wanted to hear about their days right now.

After dinner, they moved to the living room where Lorelai began to patch up the small hole in Luke's jacket that had been a result of his visit to the cabin earlier in the day because she knew that the jacket probably wasn't going anywhere soon and she would have to fix it before the hole was made worse. She sat next to Luke on the couch while April had curled up in the plush chair with Paul Anka curled up on the floor close to her while the TV played on in the background, mainly capturing the attention of Lorelai and April.

Luke didn't care much for the program that was playing at the moment but he knew that April and Lorelai liked to watch it and it was one of their topics of discussion but he did enjoy being in their company. Though his day had a few changes in it so it differed from the years past, he was grateful for the support that Lorelai and April both offered through acts of taking care of him by being the ones to fix dinner and their support that had been vowed the night before. He felt more relaxed.

"Did I ever tell you about the time that my dad was trying to help me reel in a fish when I was a kid and he ended up falling into the lake?" Luke asked, now drawing the attention of the two formerly hooked on the television.

"No," Lorelai said through a laugh.

"Was he mad?" April asked, no longer interested in the models strutting and vying for a top spot.

"He wasn't really mad," Luke answered. "The water was freezing cold that day. I have a few pictures."

Lorelai smiled and nudged his shoulder gently, "What other stories you got? I'm sure April would love to know more about where she comes from."

"I would," April agreed.

"Well there was this one time that he was very mad about falling into the lake but that one was kind of my fault..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the kudos!


End file.
